Left Behind
by O.oWTF
Summary: Due to some really bad English grades, Nagisa must go to the US to complete a program in order to graduate. What happens when she never shows up? *Trigger Warning*
1. You're going where?

** Left Behind**

Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Cure, if I did I wouldn't be working min wage :P

Summary: Due to some really bad English grades Nagisa must travel to the US to complete a two month program in order to graduate to high school. What happens when she never shows up?

A/N: This story is from Honoka's point of view but the beginning build up is from third person. The story has been in my mind for a long time so I thought I would give it a try writing it down. I haven't written stories in over 3 years so please forgive me for being rusty. Due to this the chapter's will more than likely be edited once or twice after being posted. If you notice any mistakes or can think of anything that I might have left out forgotten (I am going to try and tie all loose ends so you may have to bare with me till the end) than please let me know. :)

"_How did it come to this?"_ Five years later and I am still asking myself that question as I sit here on the deck looking up at the starlit sky from my back yard. 5 years ago my life was perfect... okay maybe not _perfect_, but pretty close to it if I do say so myself, which I do. Now, it seems life tries its hardest to make everyday even more of a struggle then the last. I have my good days don't get me wrong, but they seem to get farther apart as the days approach to the anniversary of that faithful day when you left me here by myself. I still remember that day as if it only happened yesterday.

(Not quite 5 years ago) _Normal perspective_

"Misumi-san, can I have a moment please?" The class was just exiting the room to retire after a long day of learning when the teacher asked to speak with the previously mentioned student. Misumi Nagisa, a girl of average height with a very athletic build and short light brown hair, was in the middle of packing her supplies when she heard the teacher call her name. She quickly stuffed the rest of her work into her bag and grabbed her lacrosse stick before heading to the front of the class to speak with the teacher. "Misumi-san I would like to have a word with you about your grades. As you know it is mandatory in this school to maintain a certain level of academics, and while I admit that most of your grades have vastly improved since you started getting tutored by Yukishiro-san, your English grades have remained unsatisfactory. I am afraid that at this point you will be unable to graduate to high school with the rest of your class."

Nagisa had, had a foreboding feeling at the beginning of this conversation and that feeling just kept getting worse and worse as the teacher kept on talking about her grades. She did her best, honest, but it was so hard to stay focused on the teachers hour after hour when all the stuff they taught was so boring, and let's not even mention that dreaded thing the world calls homework. Seriously who would invent such a horrible thing? As bad as her feelings got towards the end of the, so far, one sided conversation, nothing could prepare her to hear that she might not graduate. Sure her grades were bad, but they weren't that bad were they? "Please sensei there must be something I can do that will allow me to graduate with everyone else, I don't want to be kept back a year. Isn't there any extra credit assignments, tests, ANYTHING that I can do?"

"Hmm, well there might be something but it will not be easy, in fact you will probably have to work harder than you ever have in your life, academically that is."

"What is it?" Nagisa asked with a slight quiver in her voice for fear of finding out what it was she would have to do in order to graduate to the next level. Honestly, it's bad enough she would have to study for entrance exams, and now this?

"There is a program for students that are having problems in the English course to take that will give them the credit needed pass this class. It is akin to an exchange program, you will be required to fly to the United States for the next couple of months and pass an English course there. Pass that course and you will pass here. The difficult part with this program is that since it is only 2 months long and a regular course term for and American student is five months long you will have to work double hard to pass the test that will be given at the end of your stay there. Here is a form you will have to fill out with your parents, bring it back by the end of the week otherwise you will be required to repeat this year." The teacher explained.

"When will I have to leave?" Nagisa asked.

"At the end of next week, have a good night Misumi-san." With that the teacher left the class leaving a very confused and anxious Nagisa in the room looking over the sheet and thinking of her options, or lack thereof. After a while of feeling defeated, knowing she had no choice in the matter, Nagisa walked out of the class heading to her shoe locker. Thankfully she didn't have lacrosse practice as she no longer had the strength and energy to play her favourite sport. As she dragged her feet to the area of the shoe lockers she noticed her best friend Yukishiro Honoka standing by her locker waiting for her. The slim, dark blue haired scientist smiled at her friend before frowning when she noticed the look on her companion's face.

"What's wrong Nagisa?" Honoka asked. Nagisa sighed before she handed the sheet in her hand to her friend to look at. She exchanged her shoes for the ones in her locker and looked anywhere possible except at her best friend as the other girl examined the sheet. Honoka was going to kill her when she heard that she hadn't been doing better in her English like she told the other girl she would. Honoka's brows furrowed in confusion as she was given the sheet of paper only for them to pop up and her eyes to go wide as she read and finally understood what the paper was all about. Nagisa would be leaving her for 2 months. In a rush Honoka grabbed Nagisa's hand and pulled her out of the school building and headed in the direction of her house.

Neither girl spoke on the way to Honoka's house but the contact was maintained the entire walk there. Upon arriving they greeted Honoka's grandmother Sanae and her dog Chuutaro before quickly walking into Honoka's bedroom to talk. Once the door was shut Honoka sat on her bed with Nagisa in front of her already having taken a seat on her desk chair and depositing her bag lacrosse stick along her bedroom wall. At this point Mepple, and Mipple popped out of their respective places by their "owners" side and stood in their original forms on top of the desk looking at the two knowing that something big was about to be discussed. "Nagisa what is this form all about? Why are you going to America?" Honoka asked trying to keep her voice stable from the amount of emotions that are running through her mind. Nagisa finally looked up at her friend and immediately noticed the swirl of emotion running through the other girl's eyes. Seeing this she felt really guilty over what she was about to say to the other girl but knows she has no choice in the matter, which only worsens the situation since she won't be able to truly comfort the other girl like her mind is screaming for her to.

"Sensei told me that because of how bad my English grades are I wouldn't be allowed to graduate with everyone else unless I did this program to pass the course." Nagisa watched her best friend as she said this. She could see the swirl of emotions gradually slow until she was able to pick out each and every emotion, upon the most dominant was sadness, fear, and the most dominant, that currently had her slightly shaking in her seat, Anger. Yup she was soo dead.

"NAGISA! How could you! You said that would study harder to pick up your English grades, it was the deal we made for me to stop tutoring you in it. Kami I don't believe you would lie to me like that!" Honoka was on her feet yelling at the other girl unable to believe her friend would be dumb enough to put herself in that kind of situation. As Honoka started pacing the room trying to keep her tears in check, Nagisa sat in her seat a while longer trying to put her thoughts in order and think of a way to pacify her friend and explain things. Nagisa finally stood up and walked to where her friend would be once she turned around to continue her pacing. As Honoka turned to continue pacing she bumped into Nagisa. Honoka was about to push the girl away to continue her pacing when Nagisa grabbed her wrists and pulled her further into her body, only to then wrap her arms around Honoka's waist. Honoka began to struggle in the taller girls arms and brought her own arms up to try and push Nagisa away from her but Nagisa just held her tighter until finally the smaller calmed down enough and let her arms fall to her side.

"Gomen Honoka," Nagisa rasped out, having a hard time controlling the lump forming in her throat. The thought of spending so much time away from the smaller girl scared her just as much as it did Honoka. She had learned a long time ago that she wouldn't be able to survive for long without the support of her best friend and had been petrified ever since of losing her. "I'm so, so sorry. I never meant for it to get this bad I swear. I did study, I tried so hard to remember everything on the sheets but every time I had to bring it back up my mind would just go blank. I would know the answer but I just couldn't grasp it long enough to write it down." By now the smaller of the two had silent tears falling down her cheeks onto the fabric of the taller girl's shirt covering her left shoulder. Feeling the tears on her shoulder was the final straw for Nagisa and the tears she had been trying so hard to keep in began to pour down her own cheeks as well. Nagisa buried her head into the curve of her friend's neck and into her hair, silently breathing the scientist's scent of floral body wash and subtle perfume to help calm her nerves. She would never tell the smaller girl this but she was secretly in love with her. She had been for a long time but knew that such a confession would scare her off, and so stayed silent pretending to be interested in guys instead. Unknown to her the scientist's thoughts and actions were closely mimicking her own. Honoka had long since brought her hands up and around the athlete's neck and had her head rested against her friends shoulder for support. She was calmly breathing in her scent while trying to stop the tears. Her short haired friend never wore perfume but always carried the scent of Irish spring soap and simple shampoo. It wasn't a scent that most girls their age go for as most try to make themselves smell pretty, but it was a scent that screamed Nagisa and Honoka loved it for just that reason. Honoka had also been in love with her friend for a long time. In fact she had been ever since the first time they transformed and cure black had saved her from that roller coaster wheel that nearly hit her. She didn't know what to call the feelings she had at the time since she had never had any real experience or interest in the romance department, but as time wore on and the closer the two of them got it was no longer possible to deny that what she was feeling was indeed love. Like her friend she did everything possible to hide what she was feeling since Nagisa has always been shown interest in guys and would probably be put off by her romantic feelings. It hurts her to be so close to the one that she loves and to never to be with her, but the scientist would rather have the athlete in her life as a friend than not at all.

The girls held each other for what seemed like ages before they calmed down enough for the tears to come to a halt, but neither girl could find the strength to let the other go so they continued to hold one another for another long period of time. Finally finding her strength and knowing that she needed to put her friends mind at ease even if her own wasn`t, Nagisa pulled away from the hug far enough to be able to look her friend in the eyes. Both of their eyes were red and puffy, but all the girls could think of was how beautiful the other looked at that moment. With minimal distance between their faces they got caught up looking in each other's eyes for a small period of time. Two sets of eyes, one dark blue and the other brown, softened as they gazed at one another and each began to lean in feeling an uncontrollable gravity pulling them in. As their faces became mere centimetres apart, and their heart beats became impossibly fast, a rather loud knock came from Honoka`s door startling both girls apart.

"Honoka supper is ready." Honoka's grandmother let the girls know

"A-Arigato Obaa-san" Honoka replied shakily not being able to speak properly in her current state. Both girls looked at each other blushed and then looked away. Both feeling like they almost let their feelings slip, and both feeling guilty about almost forcing themselves onto the other. As the atmosphere become more stifling Nagisa's stomach decided to make itself known by announcing that supper was a really great idea. Honoka decided that it would be best to go for supper and try to process things then, and then return to their previous problem before trying to figure out another one. Letting out a deep breath Honoka began "let's get something to eat, I know you must be starving since you haven't eaten since lunch, but don't think your off the hook just yet, we still have a lot of discussing to do before you leave tonight." Nagisa beamed at the idea of food as her stomach wouldn't stop grumbling ever since the mentioning of supper, but when she heard what Honoka said about not being off the hook and saw the look in the smaller girl's eyes she knew she wasn't out of the lake yet. Nagisa unconsciously shivered at the thought of what the other girl might do to her after they ate. She might be small and look frail but Honoka was a lot stronger than what most people gave her credit for. Shuffling her feet after her friend Nagisa followed Honoka down the corridor to the dining area where they proceeded to eat. Meanwhile, Mepple and Mipple still stood on the desk wondering what had just happened and feeling completely forgotten about.

OMAKE:

Nagisa: *Glares at Ash*

Ash: *starts to fidget* Ok why are you glaring at me?

Nagisa: I don't like where this is going

Ash: I just started it, how could you know where it is going, and if it will be bad or not. It could be wonderful for all you know

Nagisa: *Still glaring at Ash* I read the summary

Ash: *Begins to sweat* Oh, ummm, see ya *takes off running*

Nagisa: Hey get back here *runs after Ash*

A/N: What? You didn't think it would be that easy did you?


	2. Lost Opportunities

After supper the girls retired back to Honoka's room for the last little while before Nagisa would have to leave for the night. Once they reached the room both resumed their previous sitting locations and a lull of silence formed around them, Nagisa waiting for the smaller girl to start lecturing her, and Honoka not feeling like talking just yet. Mepple and Mipple were still on the desk but back into their "cell phone" forms, watching what was happening in an attempt to fully understand what had happened roughly an hour before. Finally gathering her thoughts Honoka began to speak, once again fighting to keep her emotions in check as the situation re-entered her mind.

"How could you let it come to this?" Honoka began in a quiet voice making Nagisa even more nervous having never heard her friend speak in such a hushed tone.

"I never mea-"

"It takes a long time to get to this point Nagisa!" Honoka raised her voice once more, cutting the athlete off before she could repeat her apology from earlier. "It would take a lot of failed tests to get to the point where a simple extra credit assignment won't cut it. Why didn't you come to me when you noticed that your grades weren't going to be good enough? Even you had to realise that you weren't going to be able to pass." Nagisa winced at not only the volume and tone of her secrete love's voice but also the words.

"I didn't want to bother you. I kept thinking that the next test would be different, then the next and the next, but by the time I realised that nothing was going to change it was too late." By this time the lump in Nagisa's throat had started to return and her words were starting to sound a little shaky as she once again fought off the tears building in her eyes. "You were already helping me so much, and dealing with student council stuff, and the science club, and who knows what else, I didn't want to bother you with something that I thought I could do. Never in a million years would I have thought it would come to this." Nagisa got off of the chair and knelt in front of her friend grabbing her smaller hands into both of her own and looking into dark blue eyes. "I know you probably hate me right now but I really did try and I am so, so sorry. If I could do it over again I would in the snap of a finger."

Both girls sat for a minute more staring into the other's eyes, one searching for forgiveness and the other looking to see how sincere the other is. Seeing that the athlete was indeed being sincere Honoka let out a sigh and entwined her fingers with the larger ones in her grasp. "The expression is 'in the blink of an eye'." Hearing the familiar correction of her often messed up phrases, and seeing her friends eyes soften, Nagisa let out a deep breath of air she wasn't even aware she had been holding. "I could never hate you Nagisa, no matter what I couldn't. I'm just scared I guess. I don't know I would do without you for two months."

"I refuse-Mepo!" Mepple chose this time to cut in still not fully understanding what is happening but understanding enough to know that he would be away from his koibito for much longer than he is willing to be. "I don't want to be separated from Mipple-Mepo."

"Me too, I don't want to be separated-Mipo." Mipple joined in.

Nagisa let out a sigh and looked at Honoka and then over to where Mepple and Mipple stood in animal form once more. "I'm sorry you guys but I don't have a choice if I want to graduate to High School. If I don't then I will be kept back and Honoka will move on, which means that our schedules will be different and we will see each other even less. So it's either two months or the next however many years." Honoka squeezed the hands entwined with hers letting her partner know that she didn't want that either. Nagisa looked back at her friend before speaking once more the two standing on the desk. "If you want and if Honoka is okay with it, Mepple why don't you stay here with her. No reason all of us should be separated."

"But then you'll be all alone-Mepo."

"That's okay. Better than listening to you whine every day." Hearing this Mepple stuck his tongue out at Nagisa prompting her to return in kind. After a few seconds of silent bickering Honoka interjected before things got out of hand.

"You don't have to decide tonight, there is still two weeks before Nagisa must leave. Think it over and decide later. In the meantime it's getting late, so I think it is best if you head home and discuss things with your parents."

"Your right I should get going, mom will kill me if I'm not home soon. Have a good night Honoka and I will see you tomorrow at school."

"Good night Nagisa and don't forget to do your math homework." Honoka bid her friend goodbye and could hear her cursing under her breath about the forgotten math homework. She watched until the taller girl was out of her yard before she turned around and walked back into her room falling onto her bed. Letting out a deep sigh Honoka started thinking of all the things that had occurred that evening. She became exhausted just thinking of it. Remembering that she too still had to do the math homework, Honoka got up and retrieved her homework from her bag before sitting at her desk to complete the work. Being an academic genius had its advantages as she was done within half an hour.

No longer having anything to distract herself the dark haired girl began to think of the events of that evening again. She became sad thinking that she would have to spend so much time away from her secrete love interest but that feeling was soon pushed aside when her thoughts came to a part of the evening that she wasn't too sure about. Just thinking that she had almost kissed her friend caused her blush profusely. _"I'm so stupid, how could I almost do that? I almost ruined everything."_

"Honoka? Are you Okay-Mipo?" Mipple asked her charge sensing the girl's mood change suddenly.

"Hai Mipple, I am okay. Just thinking about what I'm going to do while Nagisa is away. It's a long time to not be with her." Honoka replied trying to hide her thoughts from her small companion.

"Mmm, it is. I don't know what to do if Mepple goes with her-Mipo. I'll miss him a lot-Mipo. But I hope he decides to go-Mipo." Honoka looked at Mipple confused by what she said. Why would she want to be away from her lover? "If Mepple stays we will be together-Mipo. But then Nagisa will be all alone, with no one to help her cope and no one she can talk to-Mipo. We can help each other through it, and the same goes for them-Mipo." Mipple smiled at Honoka hoping to relay her feelings and help the other girl understand that she is not truly alone in this.

"Mipple" Honoka's voice was shaky, and her eyes held tears she refused to shed. Never the less she smiled at Mipple to let her know she understood and was grateful for the support.

After calming herself down for the millionth time that evening, Honoka went to bed falling asleep as soon as she hit the pillow, the day's events having caught up to her.

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After making it home Nagisa told her parents about the program in America she would have to do and had them fill out the form, but not before they tore into her about her irresponsibility. Her ears were still ringing as she tried to finish the last problem on her math homework it already being late into the night. "_Stupid math homework, what in the world would I need to know this crap for?"_ After completing the work Nagisa got into bed ready to fall asleep for the night, only to find that her mind wouldn't slow down enough to let the darkness overtake her. She thought about what it would be like living in the USA for two months with no one there to really talk to or turn to. The thought scared her more than anything else. She didn't want to be alone, and while having Mepple with her would great, as annoying as he was, she would never ask him to separate from his lover because of a mistake she made. No, this was her problem and she would face it as best she could, even if it meant being alone. As her thoughts began to wander, her face heated up with a full blush remembering earlier in the night when she had almost kissed her secrete love. She couldn't believe she had almost lost control of her emotions so much as to almost force the other girl into an awkward situation she would most likely be repulsed by. Letting out a defeated breath Nagisa's mind finally began to calm down enough for her to get some rest before she would have to be up early for another day of torture *cough* I mean school. 

The next couple of weeks seemed to fly by for the girls and before they knew it, it was the evening before Nagisa had to fly to America. The girls were currently sitting at one of the tables at the Tako Cafe eating some takoyaki. Nagisa was scarfing it down like her life depended on it knowing that she wouldn't be able to eat any for a long time.

"Calm down Nagisa, you are going to choke on your food." Honoka chuckled as she watched her friend try and eat her weight in the breaded treat.

"Gomen ne Honoka, I just want to eat as much as I can while I can. I'm gonna miss eating this stuff." Nagisa said, trying to talk around a mouth full of food.

"Nagisa-san, I'm sure that they will have Japanese food in America, you just have to look for it." Hikari interjected smiling at the older girl.

"Ah, you're probably right, but it won't be the same."

A silence fell over the girls as they thought about the next day when Nagisa would have to leave. None of the girls wanted the day to end and just wanted to be together for a while longer. The girls turned their heads at the sound of a dull thud to see that Porun had run into a tree during a game of catch amongst the four "fairies".

"Ouch-Popo"

The girls all chuckled at their friends' antics and continued to watch as the game ensued.

"*Sigh* I suppose I should get home now and finish packing for tomorrow. Man I don't want to go."

"What time do you leave at Nagisa-san?"

"9 am, it sucks, I mean it's bad enough I have to go, why does it have to be so early in the morning as well?" Both Honoka and Hikari chuckled at Nagisa's pouting face over having to get up early to leave, but soon sobered at the reminder that the other girl would be gone for two whole months.

"Don't go-Popo. I don't want us all to be separated, it's dangerous!-Popo" Porun cried jumping onto Nagisa's lap holding onto the front of her coat while burying his head into her chest. Lulun, sensing the sadness in her companion's voice, began to quiver and was quick to mimic his actions.

Nagisa sat there with both the young fairies in her lap, not quite sure what to do to put them at ease she cast a pleading look to Honoka begging for the older girl to save her. Honoka, noticing the look her best friend was giving her, decided to take pity on her and got out of her chair and knelt down in front of the taller girl so that she was eye level the two crying in her lap.

"Do not worry you two. Nagisa will not be gone forever, she just needs to leave for a little while now, in order to stay with us later." At this both children had stopped crying but turned to look at Honoka with confused faces. "I know that it's hard to understand right now but just know that when she completes this course she will be back before you know it, and you will complete this course right Nagisa?" Although her friend was smiling at her, Nagisa could see the malice in her eyes and that the smile wasn't a warm smile by any means. Chuckling nervously and scratching the back of her head Nagisa had no choice but to agree with her friend. Both Porun and Lulun could sense the slightly charged atmosphere and took the opportunity of distraction to jump into the safety of Hikari's lap.

"That's right and I will be there with her-Mepo." Everyone looked at Mepple in awestruck of what he had just said. Over the last couple of weeks Mepple had never indicated if he was going with Nagisa or if he was going to stay with Honoka and Mipple.

"Mepple" Nagisa began not quite sure what to say. "Are you sure?"

"Hai-Mepo, Besides, somebody has to make sure you stay out of trouble-Mepo. We all know that you are completely helpless on your own-Mepo."

"Why you" Nagisa slammed her fist down on the spot where Mepple was standing causing him to transform into his cell phone form in order to hide from his charge. "Come out here you coward!" Nagisa grabbed hold of Mepple and tried to pull the case open in order to get to him.

While the two continued to fight the rest just watched and laughed at the two knowing that they wouldn't be able to see this familiar scene for a long while.

After the sun had set, the girls all said goodbye to each other before heading in their different directions for the night. Nagisa and Hikari exchanged a hug since Hikari wouldn't be able to see Nagisa off in the morning. After hugging Hikari, the athlete hugged both Porun and Lulun saying see you later rather than goodbye in an attempt to not upset the younger two. After saying her goodbye's to the one group of people Nagisa walked Honoka to her house not wanting the girl to travel on her own after dark.

"So I'll see you in the morning?"

"Hai Nagisa. I'll be at the airport to see you off." The two just stood there looking at each other with shy smiles on their faces, neither ready to leave the other just yet.

Nagisa looked down from her friend and to the ground, the guilt once again building up for putting her best friend through this. She didn't feel like a very good friend at the moment. "Honoka I really am sorry." As soon as she said this Nagisa felt two warm fingers under her chin and lift her face. Her eyes immediately met the shorter girl's and she could see the forgiveness in the other girls gaze.

Honoka smiled at the taller girl having already sensed her uneasiness. She then gently ran her fingers along Nagisa's jaw line and up towards the back of her head, tucking some wild strands behind the athletes ear as she went. Honoka then lifted her right hand to join its partner behind her friend's head and pulled the taller girl into her body for an embrace.

Nagisa felt the chills run down her spine when the genius girl ran her fingers along her jaw, but when the shorter girl pulled her close she was sure the other girl would feel her heart beat trying to escape her chest and hear her breathing pick up. Shaking off the sudden feelings Nagisa brought her hands up to circle around the girl's waist and held her tightly fearing what she knew would come in a matter of hours.

"It's okay Nagisa; I know that you didn't do it on purpose. I was mad at you in the beginning but after I calmed down I realized that it is just as much my fault as it is yours." Honoka pulled away enough to look at Nagisa and noticed the girl giving a befuddled look; she just smiled at the girl's expression. "After all, I should have known you would need help on your English in order to pass." Honoka giggled the last part and saw her friend give her a mock glare and hurt look that soon turned into a pout.

"Mou, Honoka that's just mean."

"G-gomen Nagisa I just couldn't resist. I know that you are sorry so do not worry about it anymore neh?"

"Hai, thank you Honoka" Nagisa said to her companion bringing her close once again to re-embrace her. The girls held each other for a little while longer until reluctantly letting each other go. They stared at each other for a moment until the memory of what had happened the other week came back to mind and both girls had to look away, with their faces flushed, determined to keep their emotions in check and not have a repeat of that moment.

"Good night Nagisa" Honoka said having found her voice first. She turned to go through the door that leads into her yard when she heard Nagisa's reply

"Good night Honoka." As soon as Nagisa saw the dark haired girl close the door she went on her way towards her house to complete all her last minute packing that her mother had told her to do the night before. "Are you sure you want to come with me Mepple? You can barely stand to be away from Mipple for a day, how are you going to survive two months?"

"It'll be okay-Mepo. It will be hard but I can't leave you on your own, who knows what kind of trouble you will get into otherwise-Mepo."

Nagisa chuckled at that, "thanks Mepple.

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_Boarding call for International Flight 527 to Fresno, California at gate 12, I repeat..._

"*Sigh* I guess that's me" Nagisa said reluctantly. She really didn't want to get on that plane.

"Be safe sweet heart, and call us when you land to let us know you got there okay and that you found the people you will be staying with, okay." Rei said to her daughter before hugging her close for a few minutes not wanting to let her go.

"Okay Okaa-san I will, but can you let go now it's really embarrassing."

"Then I know that I am doing my job." Rei smiled at her daughter before letting her go and stepping aside so that her husband and son could hug the young athlete.

"Talk to you soon kiddo, stay safe and study hard."

"Hai, Otou-san, I will, I promise." Nagisa smiled at her dad giving him a quick hug before sharing the same sentiments with her little brother. After saying goodbye to her family Nagisa saw a stewardess walk over to take her to the plane. She would be escorted on and off the plane as she was still too young to fly on her own. Before she went to board, Nagisa turned to her best friend to say a final goodbye to the girl, glad that Mepple and Mipple had said their goodbyes in a private area earlier that morning.

Seeing that her friend had tears in her eyes she couldn't help but tear up herself, swearing that she would be dehydrated after all the crying they had done the last couple of weeks. Nagisa embraced her friend and stayed like that for a minute before slowly pulling back and releasing her hold on the smaller girl. She wiped a tear that had escaped the other girl's eye and smiled at her hoping it would offer some form of comfort.

"This isn't goodbye Honoka, I will be back, and I'll call you so often you will be sick of my voice."

Honoka chuckled before replying "I could never be sick of your voice Nagisa, Never. Promise me you will be safe and come home." Honoka hugged her friend once more before letting her go having heard the final boarding call come over the intercom.

"I will I promise."

As Nagisa turned to follow the stewardess she heard a commotion coming from a little boy that was clinging to his mom who was trying to pull him off of her so he could go with another stewardess to board the same plane she was.

"I don't wanna go, please don't make me go, I'll be good I promise." The little boy wailed still clinging to his mom.

"Mou Kiyoshi it's not because you were being bad, you're just going to see your dad in America. I would come with you if I could but I have work to do here. Don't you want to see your dad?" His mother said trying to pacify the child enough to get him on the plane.

"NO!" Was all the little boy had to say before burying his face into his mom's chest, clinging tighter onto her coat.

Nagisa's family smiled at the scene before them and Nagisa was suddenly very glad that she was old enough to better adjust to the situation. Not being able to see the little boy cry anymore Nagisa walked over the mother and son and bent down to be eye level with the little boy. "Hey there, are you traveling alone today as well?"

The little boy turned his head enough to look at Nagisa "Hai".

"Would you like to come with me then? You see I am also traveling alone today and I'm a little scared about it. I've never been on a plane before. I could use someone brave to stay with me and help me. That is if you are brave enough of course."

"I'm brave." The little boy claimed, finally letting go of his mother to face Nagisa fully, puffing his chest out a little in the process.

"I'm sure you are" Nagisa chuckled "so what do you say, would you help me through this?" Nagisa asked extending her hand for the little boy to take.

"Hai, Onee-san" the young boy said taking Nagisa's hand.

The little boy's mother smiled at the two glad that her son had calmed down and would be willing to get onto the plane now. "Thank you; I don't know how I would have gotten him onto the plane otherwise."

"It's not a problem, as I said I am getting on as well, I can keep an eye on him for you until he meets his dad when we land."

"Oh thank you so much, I would really appreciate that." The boy's mother said before quickly giving her son a hug before watching them walk towards the boarding gate.

Before they disappeared around the corner, Nagisa cast one last quick look to her family and friend and waved at them. Seeing them return the wave she turned the corner of the tunnel and got onto the plane.

Honoka and Nagisa's family watched the athlete and the small boy until they were out of site, and then walked over to the window to watch the plane be taxied to the runway and finally take off. Even though her friend had only just left Honoka already felt lonely and missed her.

Nagisa's parents gave Honoka a ride home and after greeting her grandma she went into her room and fell onto her bed. Mipple popped out into her full form and sat beside Honoka on her bed.

"It's weird, we've been apart for a couple of days before but I already miss her even though it's only been a few hours."

"Knowing that they won't be coming back for a long time makes you more aware of the time and that they are not with you-Mipo"

"I suppose you're right. They won't be landing for another 7 hours and probably won't be able to call for a while after that. Why don't we go and see Hikari? Maybe helping her with the cafe and seeing Lulun and Porun will keep our mind occupied until later tonight."

"Sounds good-Mipo"

Honoka and Mipple got up and left the house once more to visit their friends for the rest of the day. Nagisa was supposed to call her when she was able to but that wouldn't be for some time and it would be night time by then.

The plan to take their minds off of their partners worked well as each was busy either helping serve customers or watching over a couple of hyper youngsters to really think about them. Everything was going well for Honoka since she was able to take her mind off of Nagisa not being there with her by helping out with the cafe, but half way through the day she started feeling sick to her stomach. Not sure what to think of the sudden feeling in her stomach she asked Akane-san if she had something to settle her stomach. After taking the pill she continued to help with the customers, happy that the pills seemed to be working and her stomach was settling. Not too much longer though she began to feel a dull throb in her chest. She wasn't sure what was going on but the dull throb all of a sudden turned into a sharp pain and she gasped bringing her hand up to clutch her at the spot over top of where her heart is. As the pain continued Honoka could feel her legs grow weak until they buckled from under her and she fell to her knees. Hikari, seeing her friend in distress, ran to her side to make sure the older girl was okay.

"Are you alright Honoka-san? Do you want me to get some help?" Hikari asked beginning to panic not knowing what to do.

"It's okay Hikari-san. It's going away." Honoka told the blond easing her way back onto her feet. The pain was gone just as quickly as it came, leaving a very confused and slightly scared Honoka behind. She wasn't sure what had just happened as she had never experienced anything like that in her life. She continued helping the cafe although at a much slower pace as Akane and Hikari didn't want her to push herself in case she got any worse. No matter how hard she tried to convince them she was okay they wouldn't allow her to push herself too hard.

Once she returned home Honoka went to her room to work on her homework for school the next day. Once she finished her work she checked the time to see how much longer it would be before Nagisa would call, but seeing the alarm clock which read 10 at night she began to get a little worried. The plane left at 9 in the morning and the flight would take about 7 hours give or take a half hour depending on if there was head or tail winds. Then Nagisa said that the people she would be staying with live a 3 hour drive from where she would be landing meaning it would be about 7 at night when she got to where she would be staying for the next couple of months. She knew that Nagisa would more than likely talk to her parents when she arrived and that, that could take some time but it was still getting late and she figured that her best friend would have called her by now to at least say hi before she went to bed.

Honoka got off of her chair and went about her nightly routine to get ready for bed. As she was about to get into bed she heard a knock at her door.

"Honoka I think you might want to see this." Honoka's grandmother called to her in a slightly shaky voice.

"Obaa-san?" Honoka opened her door and saw her grandmother standing there looking like she had been crying recently. "Are you okay Obaa-san?"

"I am alright Honoka but please come with me, you will want to see this."

Honoka followed her grandmother down the open hallway of their house and into a comfy looking room that had some couches a fireplace and a small TV that is rarely ever on except during the night when her grandmother would watch the news before going to bed.

Honoka took a seat on the loveseat to the side of the TV slightly confused by her grandmother's behaviour and slightly concerned by what the older woman wanted her to see.

"_We are covering a story that has left many airline personnel confused and worried as the international flight 527 from Tokyo Japan never landed in Fresno today."_

Honoka couldn't believe what she had just heard. She felt her body go numb and her eyes begin to cloud as tears instantly filled her vision.

"_It would seem that in the midst of its flight over the ocean the tracker on the plane suddenly went down and the control tower was no longer able to contact the plane. Satellites were unable to find the plane and there are no reports of any emergency contact from the plane to any others in the area. The police have released a statement that at this time and until there is evidence to prove otherwise the flight is considered crashed, and the people on board no longer with us. They will be holding a funeral service for the 150 aboard the plane at ****** at **** on *******. My heart goes out the families of those who lost their lives..."_

Honoka was no longer listening to the news broadcaster. She sat there still trying to process what she had just heard. Her best friend and secrete love interest was gone, and she wasn't coming back. Ever. The tears that were building in her eyes spilled over in an uncontrollable stream. She sat there just silently crying for a few minutes still trying to wrap her head around the fact that the girl she had just seen earlier that morning would never smile at her again, or make her laugh, or make her feel better when she was upset. "No, it can't be."

"Honoka, I am really sorry. I saw a preview earlier and I knew you would want to see. It will be okay, I know it is hard right now, but it won't stay that way." Sanae said trying to calm down her granddaughter. She knew that it was a losing battle but still, she had to try.

"NO!" Honoka cried and ran to her room. Throwing herself onto her bed she cried into her pillow. Never before had she felt so heartbroken. It hadn't even hurt this much when her parents had left for business all those years ago only to come home once a year. She cried into her pillow unable to stop the tears. Unaware of anything around her she didn't notice that Mipple was right beside her until the fairy spoke.

"Honoka? What's wrong-Mipo?"

"I'm so sorry Mipple, Mepple won't be coming back." Honoka told the fairy and buried her head further into her pillow and wailed even harder not believing that everything was real.

Hearing what her friend told her and seeing her distress, MIpple knew right away that what Honoka was saying was true and began to cry alongside the dark haired girl.

_Present time_

"_It feels like it all happened a life time ago, and at the same time, as if it had only happened yesterday. So many things have happened and so many things have changed. I wish you were here Nagisa. I miss you so much."_ Honoka could feel the tears running down her cheeks as she remembered a love long ago that she never had the courage to grab hold of. "_If there is one thing that I would do differently, it would be to tell you how much I love you and never let you go."_

Honoka was brought out of her thoughts by the light sound of small feet padding across the wood coming close to where she was seated. Quickly brushing the tears from her face with her hands Honoka turned to look at a little girl of 2 years old. The little girl was rubbing her right eye with her hand and had a small blanket clutched firmly and dragging slightly on the ground in her left.

"Okaa-san, I had a bad dream."

Omake:

Honoka: You killed her! *Glares at Ash*

Ash: Why does this feel familiar? *flips page and reads Omake of chapter 1* Ah that's why. *looks over at Honoka and feels the murderous vibes pouring off of her* Hmm, I think I'm gonna go over here for a bit. *Leaves room*

Honoka: I think I'll follow her and make sure nothing happens. *Honoka follows Ash hiding something behind her back*

Hikari: Should we worry?

Mipple: *Smiling evilly* No I'm sure Honoka can take care of her.

A/N: Hey sorry for taking so long. I can write a 10 page essay in a matter of hours but apparently not a fanfic update. I apologise in advance I work a lot the next few days so the next chapter might take a while.


	3. Disconnected

Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty cure.

A/N: Sorry for taking so long with this one. The next few chapters are going to be telling about Honoka's life from after Nagisa's plane crash, up until the present (5 years later). In case anyone was wondering in the _present_ it is the middle of December and Nagisa left in the middle of January.

Honoka's POV

"Okaa-san, I had a bad dream."

"Oh sweetie, come here." I walked over to my daughter and picked her up, placing her on my hip to balance her weight. "Was it the monsters again?"

"Hai" She replied to me in a small shaky voice, obviously still half asleep and scared by the dreams.

Ever since her second birthday two months ago Akiko has been having these dreams about hairy monsters and a war between them and humans. It concerns me that she has been having these dreams as they are very violent and gory. If I didn't know any better I would swear that she has been watching monster movies, but we very rarely watch TV and either myself or my Obaa-san are with her when we do.

"It's just a dream honey, they can't hurt you. I promise." I told her hoping to ease her fears. I could tell by the tears, however, that my words aren't having any affect. Sighing I brought her closer to my chest and whispered into her ear "I think it's time to get some sleep neh? Would you like to sleep with Okaa-san tonight?"

"Hai" She replied, smiling at me. For some reason the nightmares never bother her when she is sleeping with me so I usually let her after a night they have visited her. Since the nightmares never seem to have any pattern and appear at random it is hard to predict when she will get them, and so, hard to avoid. I am trying to get her to be brave as well so I try not to let her sleep with me too often.

Walking into my bedroom, which is the same room I have always stayed in (Akiko's room was an old guest bedroom redone to be her own), I set Akiko down onto the bed and watched as she crawled under the blankets and quickly settled in. Changing my clothing to a simple long pyjama top that reaches mid thigh, I too got under the blankets and soon found my arms wrapped around my little girl as she moved next to me and cuddled into my chest. As I watched her breathing slow, indicating she was asleep, I couldn't help but look over her features that looked so much like my own. Her hair is the same tint and colour as my own. Her facial futures are identical to my own as well. I am happy that she looks so much like me; I couldn't bare it if she looked even a little bit like _him_. As I was watching her sleep my eyes traveled from her soft dark hair, over the slope of her small nose, and cheeks, and up to her cute little ears. While looking at all her features I recall the one feature that amazes me and takes my breath away every time I see them. I don't know how it happened, as _he_ nor I have this feature, but I am glad it did. Behind currently closed eye lids are the most beautiful pair of light brown eyes I have only ever seen on one other person, Nagisa. Those light brown eyes that I thought I would never see again; now catch my eyes every time I look at my daughter. Smiling to myself I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep knowing that for the next couple of months it will be hard to come by.

_Past_

I awoke to the sun filtering in through the paper doors and landing on my face. I knew I had to get up and get ready for school but my body felt really heavy and didn't seem to want to get up. I felt myself slowly becoming aware of everything and soon all thoughts of school vanished from my mind as thoughts of last night came to me.

I could feel the tears burst through my eyes as I once again buried my head into my pillow and cried for my friend. A friend who I love more than anything, and that I would never get to see again. I felt the bed shift slightly and a hand being placed on my back. Startled I looked over to see my Obaa-san smiling a sad smile with eyes that held sympathy for the situation. Because Nagisa was my friend, and because I often helped her study, she spent a good part of her time here with me and within that time Obaa-san came to know her as well and always liked her as a part of my life since even before we really became friends.

I reached over and held her tight as I cried until I could no longer feel the tears coming. She let me stay home from school today and made breakfast for me insisting I eat even though I didn't feel like it. After eating what I could Obaa-san informed me that Misumi-san called earlier and that the services would be held tomorrow and the funeral itself would be held the day after. I numbly nodded my head not trusting my voice. Walking back to my room I sat on my bed and could see from the corner of my eye Mipple pop out of her place and stand on my desk beside the bed. I could tell that, like myself, she had been recently crying out for her lost love.

"I'm sorry Mipple, this is all my fault. If I had only tutored her-"

"Don't say that-Mipo, you couldn't have known what would happen-Mipo." Mipple said silencing my guilty thoughts. I keep thinking that if only I had pushed harder for her to do her work than they would still be here. At the same time I was so angry with her for not keeping her promise. She said she would come back to me.

I looked around my room and quickly spotted the old lacrosse stick she left leaning against the wall from the last time we played catch. She said it was better to leave it here so that I could use it whenever we wanted to play catch. Before I knew what was happening I had tears running down my cheeks again. Instead of wiping them away, knowing that more would just take their place, I lay down on my bed and cried once more until I fell asleep.

That day went by in a blur of tears and unconsciousness, interrupted by moments like lunch and dinner. I went to sleep that night feeling sick to my stomach knowing that I would be attending services for my friend all day tomorrow and would have to see her parents. I wasn't sure I was ready for all of this.

_Next morning_

Waking up the next morning I went through my morning routine relying more on instincts than conscious thoughts. After I was done getting ready I checked myself over in the mirror to make sure I looked okay. I fought back the tears as I looked over my black dress, knowing the reason that I wore it. I grabbed my clutch and put Mipple inside of it before heading out of my room to meet Obaa-san before we headed to the service.

We arrive sooner than I would have liked and as I saw people walking around me and heading inside I wished the earth would open up and swallow me. I couldn't do this. I couldn't face Nagisa's family. If I did, then I would be admitting that she really was gone, even though it felt as if she wasn't. Although I can no longer feel the bond that we have shared since we met, one that became stronger and stronger as we become closer, I still cannot accept that she is truly gone from this world.

I felt my Obaa-san lightly squeeze my arm to encourage me to continue into the building, and as we made it inside I was met with a lot of faces I recognized from school, as well as many that I have never seen before that I deduced must have been Nagisa's relatives and family friends.

Seeing so many crying people made things hard but still we stood in the line to see Nagisa's parents and Ryouta-kun. As we got closer I felt my nerves rising and I could feel myself sweating. I would give anything to be anywhere but here right now and for this reason. Finally it was our turn to give our condolences but as I opened my mouth to speak no words would come out. The lump in my throat had already grown too big.

"Honoka-chan," I heard Nagisa's Okaa-san call my name and looked right up at her. I could see the tears in her eyes and the trail running down her cheeks, leaving evidence that she has been crying, as any parent would be.

Finally able to find my voice enough to let out a small almost inaudible "Misumi-san" I soon found myself embraced in Misumi-san's arms and with that I lost the last bit of self control I had on my emotions. I don't remember how long I stayed in her arms crying my heart out but she just continued to hold me and cry with me. After what felt like forever my tears finally came to a stop and I pulled back from Nagisa's Okaa-san and looked up at caring eyes. "I'm so sorry Misumi-san. "

"Thank you Honoka-chan. I know you miss her just as much as we do, and I wanted to thank you for always taking care of her whenever we couldn't. I just want you to know that if you ever need anything, we are here for you okay?" Misumi-san asked me with a small sad, but kind, smile.

"Hai, thank you Misumi-san." We hugged each other one last time before I continued down the line that gave a hug to Nagisa's Otou-san and finally one to Ryouta-kun who latched onto me for some moments before pulling back and continuing with the other guests.

After speaking with Nagisa's family I walked over to a group of people I recognized from school, many of which were on the lacrosse team, and then I noticed Hikari-san and Akane-san. I walked over them and spoke to them for a while, giving a hug to both, and stayed close to them for most of the time. The day wore on much the same. Talking to friends or family of Nagisa's until the service was over and it was time for everyone to leave. Finally with the day done Obaa-san and myself left for home but not before talking to Nagisa's parents and brother one more time.

At home all I could think of was falling asleep and staying there for a long time. Never has a day felt so long in my life. After I crashed on my bed rather ungracefully I heard Mipple pop out of my clutch and sit on the bed beside me. "Honoka, are you okay-Mipo?"

"I should be asking you that Mipple, how are you holding up?" I turned on my side to face her and could see that she had a pensive look on her face. Not understanding I gave her a confused look.

"I can't explain it-Mipo, but I feel like he is still here-Mipo. I suppose that so long as I feel like he his okay, things will be okay-Mipo." Mipple looked at me as if she wasn't sure if she explained it right so I smiled at her to let her know I understood what she meant.

"You're lucky then. I can't feel Nagisa at all. It's like she just disappeared." I held my hand over my heart as it started to ache over the thought of never feeling the warmth that I once felt with the bond we had.

"Honoka, supper is ready," I heard my Obaa-san call for me through the door.

"Coming Obaa-san, I'll see you in a bit Mipple."

"Hai-Mipo," Mipple called after me before transforming back into her "cell phone" form.

After supper Mipple and talked for a little while before finally going to sleep knowing we would have to be up early tomorrow morning for another emotional day.

_Next Morning_

The next morning went very much like the previous one and before I knew it we were off again to the funeral home. Today however, I could feel that it was much worse. Today would be the day I would have to say goodbye to my best friend and secret love. As much as I want to delay it, to run away and never acknowledge this is reality, I know that it would just make things worse and delay the inevitable. If I don't do this now, then I will never be able to move on. Although when I really think about it I don't think I'll be able to move on so easily no matter what I decide to do.

Getting to the funeral home I was greatly surprised when Misumi-san asked me to sit with them in the front. It didn't feel right as it was a place for family but they assured me that Nagisa would me want me there having been one of the closest people to her. I blushed at their reasoning but couldn't dispute it. I felt honoured that they would ask me sit in an important seat and it also felt good hearing that other people saw just how close Nagisa and I were.

Sitting down it wasn't long before a soft song came on singing a sad song about goodbyes. Everyone stood up to watch the Paul-bearers bring the casket down the aisle to be placed on a table at the front of the room. I thought that I had prepared myself fully for today, knowing that I would have to say goodbye and everything. However, no amount of preparation could prepare me for seeing the casket that, while empty, served as a representation for the lost life of the person I love most. It felt like a freight train had collided with my chest and suddenly it felt hard to breath. It felt like I had been living in a dream for the last couple of days and suddenly I've been thrown into reality in the worst possible moment. Once the casket was placed at the front and the Paul-bearers had taken their seats everyone sat down once again as a man hired to do the service began his speech.

As soon as I saw the casket I felt the tears run down my face and was glad that we were able to sit as my legs seem to have dissolved into nothing. As the man went on talking about how wonderful this person is that he had never even met I kept my eyes down thinking only about my important person and all the time we spent together, good and bad. I was startled when I felt a hand placed onto my own and soon recognized it as Nagisa's Okaa-san who was sitting to my left. The service man seemed to go on and on until finally Nagisa's family went up to say few words. Nagisa's Okaa-san was the first to speak followed by a close cousin and even Akane-san said a few words. I was surprised to see Misumi-san head back up to the podium only to have a near heart attack when she said that I, being her best friend, would say a few words as well. Hearing this I thought I was going to faint. I didn't have anything prepared and I wasn't even sure if I could get the words out at this point given how much I was crying. But when I looked at Misumi-san and saw her smile at me I understood that she was doing this for me. That this would be a chance to tell everyone how great a person my best friend was, and that it would a step towards saying goodbye to her for good.

Standing behind the podium I took a moment to compose myself and try to think of something that I could say that would bring any justice to the kind of person that Nagisa was.

"First I just wanted to say how honoured I feel to be up here getting to speak about the person that I become so close to over the last couple of years. It seems so strange thinking back on it now. Even knowing how well we get along now, I don't think I would have believed it back then. If anyone were ever to tell me that my best friend would be someone who was so completely opposite to me, and yet completed me in so many ways. What can I say about her? She was the most amazing person I ever met. She cared about everyone and always put herself last. No matter the situation she could always make me laugh and feel better about myself. Whenever I was feeling down, she would take my hand and she would always pull me forward and keep me going. She was a goof ball who could never seem to get sayings right, and she could eat more than my entire science club together." Everyone laughed at that knowing it to be the truth. "She was an amazing athlete and an amazing captain of her team. She always encouraged others to try their best and would help them if they ever got stuck along the way. Most of all she was an amazing friend and all around person and she will be greatly missed by so many people that had the joy of knowing her and being touched by her."

I quickly sat back down after my speech, not wanting to be in front of everyone much longer, and was soon engulfed into a hug by Nagisa's Okaa-san. "Thank you Honoka-chan."

With a few more words from the service man everyone was soon leaving the building and heading to the graveyard where the casket would be buried. Once again Obaa-san and I stayed with Nagisa's family and before I knew it the casket was being laid into the ground beneath a small plaque with Nagisa's name on it. Seeing the plaque was a little like seeing the casket; while it wasn't quite as hard hitting it still brought about a stab in my chest and tears to my eyes. It was one more reminder that Nagisa really was gone and not coming back.

After the casket was placed in the ground people started leaving and the crowed thinned out to only a few that stayed to talk to Nagisa's parents. I stood in one spot looking at the hole in the ground until I felt my Obaa-san lightly grab my arm and lead me away from it. I gave one last hug to Nagisa's family before we made the trip back home. The trip was silent but to be expected and when we arrived home I was surprised once more today.

"Okaa-san, Otou-san, what are you doing here?" I greeted my own parents before giving them a big hug and looking up them. They were supposed to be staying in Europe, so what were they doing here?

"Honoka-chan, we heard about what happened to your friend, we are so sorry sweetie." My Okaa-san said to me before hugging me close and holding me tight. It felt good to hug my Okaa-san again. "We came here as soon as we could, we thought you could use some more support."

"I'll go prepare us some tea" I heard my Obaa-san say before disappearing into the house to prepare said tea.

"Thank you Okaa-san. Now Honoka-chan, your Otou-san and I were talking about it on the way here and we wanted to discuss this with you. We know that you said that you wanted to stay here last time we asked, but we were wondering if you would like to come back to Paris with us next week?"

A/N: Wow that took forever. Sorry again for taking so long to update, between this, work, and gaming there just isn't enough time in the world. With any luck the next chapter won't take as long to right.

For anyone who didn't like my eulogy I apologise, death makes me weird even in the fictional sense. Let's just say there is a reason I refuse to have a funeral. I am also putting this up without major editing so sorry for any grammar errors.


	4. Papa?

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Okaa-san" I wasn't really sure what to say to her question. To leave here and go to Paris would feel like I was I was running away, after I said I wouldn't do that. But then, I already said my goodbyes. I went to the funeral and everything, so would it really be running away? Wouldn't I just be moving on, only in a different way from what I had originally thought?

"It's alright you don't have to decide right now. We just want you to think it over and let us. We are staying here until we leave next." Okaa-san hugged me once more before heading inside with my Otou-san. I trailed after them walking into the kitchen where my Obaa-san set out our cup of tea for us around the island. While my parents and Obaa-san talked I started spacing out thinking about what they asked me. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea but I had at least a few days to think it over.

After a while I left the kitchen, telling everyone I was heading to bed, and wandered into my bedroom after brushing my teeth. Changing into my nightgown I pulled Mipple out of her pouch and sat on bed wanting to hear what she thought of going to Paris.

"I don't know-Mipo. Is it a good idea to get on a plane after all that just happened-Mipo?"

"I'm not really sure. Even after all this, it's not really the plane that I am afraid of. It feels like I would be leaving her behind and forgetting about her."

"So you want to go-Mipo?"

"Honestly, I really do. I want to move on, and I think the easiest way to do that would be to leave here and not be around all the things that remind me of her. Even being in this room is too painful because of the memories I have of her in here."

"Then let's go-Mipo"

"Are you sure Mipple? I don't want to force this on you, and it would be hard leaving Hikari-san, Porun and Lulun behind."

"It would be hard yes, but they would still have each other, just like we would-Mipo."

"Mipple, thank you, it really means a lot to me. I don't know what waits in Paris but I have a feeling it will change my life." I couldn't believe that she would be okay with leaving just like that but a part of me isn't really surprised. I think she is feeling the same things I am and wants to leave here to try and move on and have a new start as well.

The next week went by in a blur. I told my parents that I would be going with them the morning after they made the proposal and they were really happy. I felt sad knowing that I would be leaving my Obaa-san here by herself but I knew she understood my need to get away. After letting them know that I would be going with them I spent the next week trying to get my priorities in order. I had to let my teachers and principal know that I would be leaving and have them do up my transcripts so that I could give it to my new school in Paris. I then had to let my science club know that I would be leaving and find and train a new president as best as I could in such a short time. I also spent time with Hikari-san and Akane-san letting them know about my future plans as well. They were upset to hear I would be leaving but again I think they understood. I spent much of the week at the cafe helping out and hanging out with Hikari-san and Porun and Lulun. The latter two would every time we would leave for the night but Hikari-san assured me that she would be okay with the two.

Finally it was time to leave and I waved to Hikari-san and Akane-san who came to see me off. I was surprised to see Nagisa's family there as well. They gave me a hug and wished me well, and finally my parents and I were boarding onto the plane and waiting for take-off.

Sitting in my seat next to the window I was focussing outside watching the runway crew run around getting last minute things in order for the take off. I had a section to myself while my parents had the two seats behind me so I didn't have to worry about another person for the duration of the flight.

As the hum of the engines came to life signalling the plane getting ready for take-off, I sat back into my seat and thought about what I was leaving behind, and what I was heading towards. I was scared and excited at the same time. I felt the plane begin to move as it was taxied to the runway and finally I felt myself get pressed back into the seat with more force as the plane picked up speed and finally lifted into the air. Once the plane was at a cruising altitude and the seatbelt lights turned off I turned my attention to the screen on the chair in front of me and started sorting through it to see if they had anything interesting playing. The flight would take roughly 12 hours and it was still far too early for me to try and sleep.

I selected a shogun movie that Nagisa once made me watch and settled in to watch it, and hopefully pass some of the time.

_Paris_

The plane ride seemed to last forever but finally we are in Paris and on our way to the house my parents have been living in for the last few months. Looking out the car window I saw a lot of town houses in a suburban area that we obviously all built off of one basic architectural design, but although the houses look alike, they were still very elegant and practical.

The house that we pulled into was a two story light blue modern style house. It had a white door and from looking into the windows I could see white translucent drapes. We all grabbed a couple of bags and headed into the house.

Walking through the door you can see a stair well straight ahead if slightly to the right of the door. To the left of the stairway is a hallway that looks like it leads to an open dining room/kitchen area which are separated by a counter leading to the far back wall and an walk way into the kitchen on the near side of the wall. Looking straight down the hallway I can see a patio door leading out to the back yard and what looks to be a fair sized deck attached to the back of the house. To the right of the front door is an entry way to the living room which is furnished with some couches and a chair all with the focal point on a 40" Plasma TV mounted on the wall. Finally to the left of the door is another entryway that leads to a small office space that I assume my parents must use for their business. The interior of the house is simple but sophisticated with soft white walls, as expected from my parents.

After looking around the first level, my parents led me upstairs to show me the once guest bedroom that I would be taking over as my own. Reaching the landing at the top of the stairs there are two ways to go, the left or the right. To the right and down a small bit of hallway is the master bedroom where my parents stay that has its own master bathroom. To the left where I was being led there are two doors. One is to a bathroom with a regular shower/bath, sink, and toilet, and the other is to the room that is now mine. I'm a little disappointed that I won't have that separate bath and shower but it's still a nice and large bathroom so I couldn't complain.

When my parents led me into my bedroom I couldn't help but gasp at how big it is. Since there are only three rooms on the top floor each room is a fair size and my room is easily larger than the one I had in Japan. The bedroom was long and rectangular compared to my old room which was more squared shape. When you walked into the room there is a wall immediately to the left and towards the end of the wall is a double folding door for the closet that is about the same size as my one back in Japan if not a little bit bigger. To the right is the main part of the room which is very open. Following the right wall there is a desk about half way down and a book case just on the other side of it. Along the back with the head on the far wall is a queen sized bed and another end table right next to the head of the bed. Finally, along the far wall is a large wardrobe with a mirror on the left side of it, and a window to the left of it.

"This is it Honoka-chan, I hope you like it, and I hope you like being here with us."

"It's beautiful Okaa-san, I know I'll be happy here, thank you."

My parents left me to unpack and organize things as I wanted and I was kind of happy for the time alone to adjust. Well not completely alone since Mipple is with me, although she is asleep at the moment. I started to unpack my first bag of the 7 I had brought with me. I had two bags of clothing, not much since I would be buying more before I start school in three days. I had one small bag for my toiletries, a couple of bags for my bedding, and a few more for personal items like pictures, books, and things like that.

The first bag I begin unpacking was one of my clothing bags. When I saw the wardrobe I figured that I could use that to put my school uniforms in. I would be picking up my uniform tomorrow and will start attending classes on Monday in 3 days. So with no actual uniforms to organize I took out my clothes-dresses, blouses, skirts, and underwear-and began putting them into my closet. After 15 minutes I had the first bag unpacked and was half way through the second when something in the bag caught my attention. It was a quick half thought through decision and I'm not so sure if it was a good idea. I reached into the bag and pulled out one of Nagisa's pink button up T-shirts, although now that I think of it, I don't think I've ever seen her with it actually buttoned up. I held the T-shirt close to my body and sniffed the collar where I could still smell Nagisa on the clothing. Somehow her smell still lingered on the piece of clothing even though it had been trapped in the back of my closet for some time until I found it while packing.

Sighing I put the shirt to the side unable to decide what I should do with it just yet. I had told myself that I would leave that place in order to get over everything and move on, but that was easier said than done. As I had been packing I kept coming across memory after memory as I kept finding photos of the two of us together. I ended up packing a few of the photos as well as this shirt, deciding that even though I need to move on, I don't ever want to forget. With another sigh I figured I would put the shirt into my closet with the rest of my clothing and continued my unpacking. Two hours later and the once guest room was starting to look a little more like me. I had pictures in various places like on one of the shelves above my bed, one of Nagisa and Hikari-san and myself on the night stand beside my bed, and finally a few on my desk and dresser. I had stripped the bed and replaced it with the sheets I brought from Japan that used to be on my old bed, and put my books on the bookcase beside my desk.

"Wow, this place looks really nice Honoka" Mipple called out startling me as I hadn't heard her waking up.

"It is isn't it? It still needs some more work though I think." I replied looking around the room. There was something missing with it but I wasn't quite sure what it was. Maybe it's just my imagination or just that I'm not used to the room yet. After all, it will be hard to call a room mine when I only just got here and am still not used to it yet. "So what do you think of this place? Do you like it?"

"It is nice-Mipo, but it will take some getting used to. So there are a few days before school, what should we do-Mipo?"

"Well Okaa-san and Otou-san have to go back to work tomorrow so we have the day to ourselves. Why don't we explore a bit and see what this city is like. Get to know what is in store for us." I suggested since I really wanted to know what this city was like. I've never been outside of Japan so it would be interesting to see how the culture here differs.

"Sounds good to me-Mipo, I'm also curious to see what else is in this world-Mipo."

With the next few days decided we started to discuss other things like what school here might be like, what the students would be like, and other such things. Before I knew it, it was time to sleep and I felt even more tired than usual since in Japan the sun would have long since set. I don't know how my parents deal with the constant jet lag from flying from one place to another all over the world.

The next few days were really peaceful with the two of us just exploring some of the areas around where I now live and some must see tourist attractions in the area. Luckily I was close enough to visit the Eiffel tower and the view from the top is breath taking. The only thing I could think of that could rival this view is the top of the cliffs overlooking the lake we visited twice.

Finally it was Monday morning and I was putting on my new school uniform. Looking at myself in the mirror I couldn't help but feel a little weird in this uniform. After years of wearing the plaid teal skirts and rustic brown coats and white collared undershirts this new uniform seems so unlike myself. I feel like I'm about to attend a funeral and all things considered it wasn't a feeling I wanted to have anytime soon. The uniform consists of mostly black. The skirt is all black reaching mid thigh, and as for the top, there is a white collared blouse with a black jacket and a black tie. I have seen uniforms like this and while they do look nice for the most part, especially compared to some of the odd colours I have seen in different schools around Japan, black just wasn't a colour I wanted too much to do with right now. Sighing again I fixed the tie and looked over at Mipple who was sitting on my desk behind me.

"You look good-Mipo. Although it is weird to see you wearing so much black-Mipo"

"I know, it looks weird on me. Kinda reminds me of Nagisa's alter ego though" I giggled at the thought of Cure Black, "although there isn't any pink to go with it. Maybe it would be better if there was." I looked at the mirror again trying to imagine what the uniform would look like with a bit of pink it, and started to think that Nagisa would look really good in this type of uniform. I felt my cheeks heat up just at the thought of how good Nagisa would look in this uniform, '_hmm I think I might have a bit of a uniform fetish.'_ I silently giggled at the thought, and suddenly I felt my heart start to hurt at the thought that I would never be able to see her wear something like this or anything else ever again.

Sighing for what felt like the millionth time that morning I heard my Okaa-san call out to me that it was time to leave. Since my school was their way to work they offered to give me a ride to school today which I gladly accepted. Grabbing Mipple and putting her into my over the shoulder book bag I quickly descended the stairs and left the house with parents and was on my way to my first day of school.

Pulling up to the school I was in awe as to how large the facility was. This school is different from my old one in one major way. It was a co-ed school, meaning that there would be both male and female sexes attending the same classes. Since I was young I have always been in a separate school from the boys but having them being taught with us didn't bother me as I never really socialized with anyone to begin with. The only people I ever really talked to before I met Nagisa were Fujimura-kun and that was because he was a childhood friend, as well as my science club members.

The school consisted of one main building with a few smaller building around it. It looked as though the main building had three levels, probably to help separate the first second and third year students. The other buildings I could only guess were probably based for after school activities and clubs.

After checking out the school and saying a quick farewell to my parents I left the car and started up the coble stone pathway that leads to the front of the school. I couldn't help but admire how beautiful the school grounds were. Even though it was winter time and the trees had no leaves on them it was easy to see that how the grounds would like in the spring and summer. Quickly walking into the building to get away from the odd stares of my, as of now, peers I first went to the administration office to get signed in and find out where my new class was. To my surprise they didn't have a single room to stay in, rather each class was in a different room much like a high school would. I suppose this was their way to ease young adults into high school. Get them used to stuff like this now so that it isn't as much of a shock later.

My day consisted of science, math, English, and geography. I was glad that this was an English school and that I was really good at English. It made things easier but even still it was difficult to understand some things. My English was good but still needed a lot of work, and the teachers speak much faster than what I am used to so the day went by slowly with me spending a lot of time trying to translate what I was being taught. It was a challenge, which interested me greatly. Since I was usually ahead in all of my classes it was nice to be challenged for a change.

At the end of the day I was really tired and wanting nothing more to go home. School was good and I had a lot of fun, but I hadn't really talked to anyone in any of my classes. There were a lot of curious glances thrown my way during the day and a lot of less than welcome eyeing from the male population, but I ignored it in favour of getting through the day. I figured that being in a new place odds are that I would just revert back to how I was before I met Nagisa.

The next few months passed by much like the first day. As time went on my English became better and I struggled less and less to understand the teachers. It was spring time and I had passed my high school entrance exams with flying colours, and before I knew it I was already started high school. High school was a lot like middle school with only a few changes to what was available for classes and how the class mates seem to treat each other. I never knew there could be so much drama over something so unimportant.

The start of high school here is much the same as junior high in that I don't really have friends, more like acquaintances but I was okay with that. Like my time in Japan I was interested in becoming a member of the student council so I ran for the treasury position. Only fourth year and very rarely third year students could run for president and vice president, which is understandable since they have been here longer and would therefore know the school better. The student council position gave me more time around other people and it wasn't long before I became friends with the other council members.

My first went by without hassle and before I knew it I was into my second year. Once again I decided to be a part of the student council and continued my role as the treasurer. Many of the council members were the same with the exeption of the president and vice president. Both positions were taken over by students who had no prior connection to the council but were popular enough amongst the school to be voted in by an almost landslide. It was nice to see everyone again and I became a little closer to the old members, but the one that I became closest to was the new vice president Mori Osamu.

I had met the third year vice president at a birthday party my parents threw for me to celebrate my turning 16. It was all in all a dull party; since I hadn't any real friends here my parents had taken to inviting a lot of their business friends and acquaintances. Mori-kun is the son of a very good friend of my parents and so they had requested I spend time with him throughout the night. It wasn't something I looked forward to but I wouldn't deny my parents anything so I had agreed. He turned out to be a charmer, or at least to most he would seem that way. He was tall with a built figure that would make most men envious. He had black hair and bright blue eyes and although he seemed nice enough there was just something about him that doesn't sit well with me.

It was the day before the summer break and all the students were in a hurry to get out of class to end so they can get out and enjoy the weather. Finally the bell rang and people started to flood out of the class room in a hurry. After collecting my stuff I calmly walked out of the class only to be stopped by none other than Mori-kun.

"Hey Honoka-san, mind if I walk you home?"

"Umm, sure Mori-kun I would like that."

Somehow things became complicated since my birthday. My parents and his seemed to think that since we seem to get along well then we should spend more time together. As time went on my parents caught wind that he wanted me to be my girlfriend and they thought that would be a good idea. I wasn't nearly as thrilled. He was a decent guy but there was still something about him I couldn't put my finger on. Add that to the fact that he wasn't Nagisa and I just didn't want anything to do with it, but as time went on and my parents kept insisting it was a good idea I just gave in and went along with it. After all, I am here to move on from my previous life. I couldn't see myself being with anyone that wasn't Nagisa so what did it really matter who it was that I was with. I just didn't want to be alone for the rest of my life.

_Present_

'_As time continued he would always walk me home and visit with my parents when we were at my house. He continued to be charming to everyone around us, but as time went on I soon discovered who he really was as a person.'_

I was snapped out of my reverie by my daughter who wrapped a small fist around the fabric of my skirt giving a small tug to get my attention. I looked down and into her light brown eyes and quickly remembered what it was that caused me to remember meeting the guy who had changed my life.

"So Okaa-san, who is my Otou-san?" she asked me with such innocence it had taken me a while to find the words to explain things to her. How do you tell the one that made your life worth living again that the man she wants so badly to call her Otou-san is not worthy of that title? I knew she would ask about him one day but I had prayed that it would be much later in life, when I was able to find the words better, but I could never really be prepared to explain anything like this to a young child who wouldn't be able to understand, a young adult maybe, but not a 2 year old.

"Well you see sweetie, your Otou-san, umm, you see he isn't a part of our lives. He had to go away for a long time." I was struggling with it even more than I thought I would. I knew I wasn't explaining things very well by the confused look on her face. I would do just about anything to get out of this situation right now. "Just know that your Otou-san can't be with us, but just because he isn't in your life doesn't mean that you are loved any less, okay?" Sighing I came up with something that would end this conversation quickly and hopefully put it to rest for a while until she is at least a little older and able to understand things a little better.

"Okay Okaa-san," I could tell that she wasn't truly happy with my answer but she would let the subject drop for the time being. Happy that the topic was closed I picked her up and held her tight before turning to head into the house to have lunch with my Obaa-san.

Two weeks had passed since Akiko had asked me about her Otou-san and the subject that I thought would stay buried was soon brought back up in a way I would have never expected.

"Good afternoon Honoka-san."

"Good afternoon Hikari-san" Hikari-san had come over today to spend some time with Akiko and myself. She has come a long way from the little girl we all knew. She still helps out Akane-san at the cafe but with top grades in high school she is on a fast track to university where she wants to go for business so that she can open up her own shop. Although she has never divulged exactly what type of shop she wants to open. After meeting Akiko, Hikari was quick to take the roll of Aunt for her and I was glad she did. I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Aunt Hikari!" Akiko came running into Hikari's arms giving her as big of a hug as her little arms would allow her.

"Hey Aki-chan, how are you today?"

"Good, Okaa-san said I get to see what you guys looked like when you were younger"

"Oh really, so you found some old photos of us?" she asked looking over at me.

"Yeah, I put all of my photos into a box when I left for Paris and then stuck the box into the back of my closet. So when I was going through my closet I found the box, I thought you might like to go through them with me."

"I would be happy to, it should be fun seeing what is in there."

So the three of us found ourselves sitting around the low table in my room looking through all of the photos I had accumulated over my more active social rolls in junior high school. Things were going good until a little shout of "Otou-san!" caught me off guard and stopped my heart beat for longer than I thought physically possible. Quickly looking to my right to see what it was that would cause my daughter to suddenly shout such a thing I saw her with her hand over a photo that had been taken on a weekend with just Nagisa, Hikari and me.

"What did you say sweetie?"

"It's Otou-san look," Akiko cheerfully held up the photo for me to see. In the picture Hikari was standing in the front while in behind Nagisa and I stood side by side with her arm slung around my shoulder holding me in half hearted embrace while smirking at the camera. Hikari had a calm smile on her face and I had a shy smile and light blush on my cheeks at being so close to Nagisa. I had to smile at the picture but then my mind processed exactly what it was that my daughter was hinting at. I felt a full blown blush light up my face when I realised that it was Nagisa that Akiko was calling her Otou-san. Hikari, of course, was no help as she sat in front of me giggling into her hand.

"Why do you say that sweetie?" I had to ask as I had no idea why she would think that Nagisa was her Otou-san. I had never mentioned Nagisa to Akiko so she had no idea who she was or how close she was to me.

"They're the same see" she points to the picture above Nagisa's eyes, eyes that looked the exact same as her own. "Eyes are the same and Obaa-san said that g-g-gen-et-ics link people, she said it's the reason I look like you, but I never knew why my eyes were different. Now I know, I get it from Otou-san right?" Oh she looked so cute right now, eyebrows raised, a happy gleam in her eyes, and a wide smile on her face as if she solved the biggest mystery in the world. Who could possibly deny her something that makes her so happy? In my heart I didn't want to deny it either. The idea of Nagisa being her Otou-san was so much more appealing than the truth. I didn't want to lie to her either though so I was stuck between a rock and hard place on what I should tell her.

"Sweetie, Nagisa isn't really your Otou-san." At seeing her once beaming face quickly fall into a pout I quickly started speaking again, "but she is your papa" _'wait, what did I just say? Oh no this is so bad, and Hikari quit laughing at me it isn't funny'_

"Papa?"

"Yes, you see a papa is like an Otou-san, they are there for you and care about you, but are still different in a way."

"Okay so papa is papa but not Otou-san. I think I understand...kind of. Can I meet her?"

My heart constricted at the innocent question. It seems life is determined not to give her the other parental figure she is so desperately looking for. "I'm really sorry baby but Nagisa passed away a long time ago, you won't be able to meet her." I saw her face fall once more and tears begin to build her eyes. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close to me as she silently sobbed at the loss of a parent she never actually met. I felt happy though that she would shed tears at not being able to meet her papa, but shed nothing at not being able to meet her Otou-san. Perhaps she is more in tuned with things than I had originally thought.

After the emotional turmoil we were quick to call it a day. Saying goodbye to Hikari, Akiko and I decided to go out for a bit and perhaps catch a movie to help her forget about everything that happened that afternoon, and to hopefully give her something nice to dream of tonight.

OMAKE:

Ash: *Runs into the bedroom and dives under the bed*

Nagisa: *Storms into the room* Alright you coward get out here and take it like a woman *looks under the bed, grabs Ash's feet to drag her out*

Ash: I'm sorry, please don't hurt me! There's a point I swear! *grabs the bed leg and holds on tight*

Nagisa: You're gonna pay making Honoka suffer like that! *still trying to get Ash from under the bed finally lets go* THUD

Honoka: *In a corner swooning over Nagisa's protectiveness :3

Ash: *Ooof* Ouch that hurt you know! Why are you even here, you're not supposed to be here!

Nagisa: I got a one day pass to come back alive to kick your ass, now get over here so I can make it worth my while. *Pounces on Ash*

Ash: I give *raises a white flag*

A/N: Alright please don't kill me (either for what's happening to Honoka or for the late updates) this chapter took so long because I wasn't sure how I wanted to write it and what details I wanted to give out. Some things were debated if they were going into this chapter or the next one. That being said I apologize if a lot of the story seems rushed. I'm trying to get a lot of details down before I forget them so hopefully later I can sort it out a bit better.


	5. Facing the Past

OMAKE:

Honoka:*walks over to Nagisa and Ash, grabs Nagisa by the collar and pulls her off of Ash*

Nagisa: Oi, Honoka what are you doing?

Honoka:*Dragging Nagisa to the door and into another bedroom and purrs seductively into Nagisa's ear* you said you have a one day pass, so I intend to make this day _very_ memorable

Nagisa: *Grins like an idiot and eyes light up, but still manages to have a slight look of fear on her face* (Ever seen the episode of Futurama where they go to the planet with the giant amazon women and get sentenced to death by snu snu? The look is kinda like that)

*Bedroom door slams shut and music starts playing*

Ash: O.o, hmm took her longer than I thought it would.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights to their respective owners :D

A/N: Trigger warning, this chapter does contain content that can trigger memories for people who have suffered through violent crimes. If you are at risk of being triggered please do not read, or do at your own discretion.

_Past: Honoka's 16__th__ Birthday (April 4__th__)_

"Honoka! Happy Birthday-Mipo"

"Thank you Mipple" I glanced to my left to where Mipple was standing on the window sill. I was looking myself over in the mirror on my wardrobe to make sure I didn't have any wrinkles in my school uniform. Today I turned 16 but I didn't feel any different than any other day. They say your 16th birthday is supposed to be a big deal, especially in the western culture, but to be honest I don't see the big deal about it, it's just another day, just another year.

"How do you feel-Mipo? Do you feel any older-Mipo?"

"Mmm, not really to be honest, it just feels like another day. Well, are you ready to head out?"

"Hai-Mipo" I watched Mipple turn back into her traveling form before picking her up and placing her into my bag that I grabbed on the way out of my room. During the last year and a bit Mipple has been able to stay in her true form a lot longer than what she was able to when her and Mepple first came to us, which has certainly made our longer chats easier.

Closing the door behind me I started down the stairs and walked down the hall to the kitchen to tell my parents I was heading out. Thankfully the school wasn't too far away so I was able to walk the distance every day. I really enjoyed that time as it allowed me time to myself in the fresh air. The only time I didn't really like it as much is during the winter time as the winter's here get so much colder than back home, and the snow can really put a damper on the walk.

Walking into the kitchen I saw my Okaa-san cleaning up the dishes from the breakfast we had not too long earlier and my Otou-san was busy reading the morning paper. "Have a good day Okaa-san, Otou-san" I said to them standing in the door way waiting for them to reply before I turned to leave through the front door.

"Have a good day Honoka-chan!" My parents replied in unison. They did that on occasion and it never failed to both creep me out and bring a smile to face. I was creeped out because let's face it, it's always creepy to hear people say things at the same time, but it also made me happy that they were still so close to one another even after all these years. Many people drift apart after so long together and especially after spending so much time working together, but somehow my parents are still as strong as ever and I don't think I have ever heard them argue over something that wasn't minor.

I turned to leave the house when I heard my Okaa-san call after me. Stopping in my tracks I turned back around to face her as she spoke to me.

"Oh, Honoka-chan! I was wondering, do you have any plans tonight?"

"Just some homework and studying, but I hadn't really planned anything special, why?"

"We wanted to be sure before we made it official. I'm sorry to tell you so last minute but the final touches just came together late last night. We are going to throw a party for you to celebrate your birthday tonight. Many of our business associates and others will be here tonight but of course you can invite anyone and as many of your friends as you would like. It starts at 6 so please try to be home on time to change okay."

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell them that it wasn't really necessary and that I didn't really have any friends to invite in the first place but I could feel that the party was in some ways an excuse to get their associates together and discuss business. My birthday just happened to be a good excuse. Although I knew this to be true, I also know that they love me and probably did want to throw me a party like the one Nagisa and Hikari had thrown me for my 14th birthday, however small it had been. I mentally chuckled remembering the lab coat Nagisa had given me. I never dared to wear it but I still had it in my closet as a keep sake. Back on topic, unfortunately they had been very busy on my birthday last year and even had to go out of town for a couple of days. I know that they still feel bad and want to make it up to me; even after I told them countless times that it was unnecessary. So instead of arguing I said a simple "Hai Okaa-san" and waved quickly to both of them before heading out the front door and walking to school.

The school day was long but good. We are getting ready for the student council elections coming up in a few weeks. There are several running this year and thankfully most of the them are running for the president and vice president so the rest of the council has already been picked and now we are just waiting for the others to be elected in a couple of weeks. I was glad to be reinstated as treasurer but it was a hassle right now since we don't have a president. The school faculty, instead, are asking the current council members to act as both parties for the mean time.

Of course being a mature individual also meant that the council members looked to me to make all the decisions and what not. Many have asked me why I didn't run and I can't think of a good reason other than that I just didn't feel the need to. It would draw far more attention to myself than I was comfortable with, and I am already far too popular for my liking, although I have no clue as to why.

Getting home to my house I noticed some vehicles parked in the drive way meaning that guests had already started to arrive. I thought it weird since it was only 430 but perhaps they had some things to discuss with my parents before other guests arrived. Shaking it off I entered the house calling a quick greeting but receiving none in reply. Figuring everyone was out back I made my way upstairs so that I could shower and change for the party as I only had an hour and a half to get ready. It's not that I take a long time getting dressed and such, but I don't like feeling rushed either. So after taking a quick shower I dressed in a halter top style white dress that fit my curves and flared out at the hips, ending just below my knees. It was by far more grown up than the dresses I have worn in the past, but still simple enough to not be flashy. It was perfect for the event and nice since the weather was warming up quite quickly lately.

After putting on the dress I brushed my hair deciding to leave it down, and put on a subtle amount of makeup. After getting done I gave myself a quick look over in my mirror and after confirming that I looked good I grabbed a pair of open toed sandal type dress shoes that match my dress and made my way back downstairs as it was almost 6 o'clock. After turning the corner from the stairs to head down the hallway I could see my parents standing around the table talking loudly to the guests who had arrived. If the smells and noise were anything to go by I think that they had already started drinking. Sighing to myself and thinking that this was going be a long night I quickly walked up to my Okaa-san, and, after noticing me she gave me a quick hug and introduced me to some of the people around us, speaking in English of course.

"Honoka-chan I would like you to meet Mr. Dan Greenman, he owns a big jewellery shop in the city." I shook the man's hand before turning towards some other guests that she was introducing me to. From who I was introduced to it was easy to deduce that most if not all of the people here either owned some type of high end jewellery/pawn shop, or was a wealthy business man with high maintenance spouses and kids. I followed my parents around the party most of the night since I knew virtually none of the people here until I finally ventured off to the buffet table for something to eat and drink.

"So you must be the guest of honour? With all these business types around it's hard to believe this is supposed to be a birthday party for a sixteen year old girl." I heard a man's voice call to me. Turning around I was met with cold blue eyes and a moderately handsome face. He was well built and looked like a senior in high school.

"I suppose I would be." Not really knowing what to say I smiled lightly at him and hoped that he would get the idea that I wasn't in the mood to make small talk. Unfortunately for me he either didn't notice or didn't care. I was saved however as when he was about to start talking again when my parents had found us and joined us quickly. My victorious feeling though was quickly squashed by my previous saviours.

"Ah Honoka-chan, I see you met Mori-kun." My Otou-san said looking between the two of us.

"Actually Otou-san we haven't introduced ourselves yet." I replied taking note that by my father adding "kun" and by the sound of his last name the young man was at least part Japanese.

"Oh, well then allow me to introduce you two. Honoka-can this is Mori Masashi" Otou-san pointed to a man that was standing to his left "and this is his son Mori Osamu, gentlemen this is my daughter Honoka-chan. Masashi-san is a good friend of your Okaa-san and myself and we are currently thinking of joining together and becoming partners in business."

I tried hard to smile and pay attention to what my Otou-san was saying but I was not all that interested in what was being said, and I could feel the eyes of Mori-Sama's son on me and it gave me the creeps. I don't know why but I get the feeling that I shouldn't be around him too much, or at all if possible.

"Well it is certainly an honour to meet you Honoka-san, and I look forward to spending more time with you." I had to bite the inside of my mouth to stop from saying something about his nerve of referring to me by my first name. Since we are in another country, and it is possible that he has lived here his whole life, meaning that such formalities would be lost on him. It was made even worse though when he took it a step further and grabbed my hand placing a kiss on the back of it. I felt my stomach lurch at the feel of his lips on my skin and forced out a shaky smile. With some conscious thought I prevented myself from immediately rubbing the back of my hand on my dress but still made a mental note to scrub that hand after the party was over.

"Ah, they get along so well already, Osamu why don't you and Honoka-chan take a walk around the neighbourhood and enjoy the night, I'm sure all this business talk is boring the poor girl and would enjoy some company her own age."

I was about to protest that I was alright where I was, really not wanting to be alone with this guy, when my parents spoke up in my stead. Unfortunately they must have missed my inner turmoil during this entire exchange.

"What a splendid idea, I am sure Honoka would love some company her own age, and let's face it; this party is boring even me." As the adults laughed and heading off in another direction I felt Mori-Kun's hand on my arm lightly guiding me towards the gate that leads to the front yard and road. We walked around for a while mostly with him asking me questions about myself. I noticed he tends to shy away from most of my questions that are more than skin deep. He told me that he had just moved here to live with his dad but wouldn't say why. Knowing that it was a personal question I let it drop and asked what school he would attend to which he gave no reply. I stopped and turned to see why he had suddenly stopped and saw him standing there looking towards the lake. Our walk had led us to a small park just outside of the neighbourhood that had a small pond like lake in the middle. I followed his line of sight and saw a couple of women sitting on a park bench watching the sunset and enjoying each other's company simply holding hands.

Seeing this I smiled lightly and tried to ignore the small pull I felt in my heart. I turned my head back around when I heard a small growl like noise and had to take a small step back when I noticed that it came from Mori-Kun. His already cold eyes looked almost arctic now and his face was twisted into a scowl.

"Disgusting, they shouldn't be allowed to be out in public like that."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I knew there were a lot of homophobic people in the world but I couldn't believe the level of hate that was dripping from his words. "What's wrong with it? What they do is none of our business, come on I think I'm ready to go back home" I turned to walk in the direction of home when a fierce pull stopped me in my tracks. I looked down to his hand gripping my arm hard and winced at the bit of pain I felt when his fingers dug in.

"You can't be serious; they are disgusting, it's immoral and illogical. What they are doing is corrupting the minds of people into thinking that the world can survive with their type in it."

"I do not agree with your opinion but I unfortunately have to respect it. We are all entitled to our own thoughts, but know that if you put your hand on me again you will regret it." I said with a far more confidant voice then what I actually felt. I felt my heart in my throat and stomach at the look of rage in his eyes, but nevertheless he conceited and let go of my arm.

"Alright Honoka-san, your right, we all have our opinions so go ahead and believe that it is right for them do what they are doing, and I apologize for touching you. We should get back, wouldn't want everyone to wonder where we disappeared to would we?"

While we slowly made our way back to the house I was lost in thought but still had enough of my mind in the present to both walk straight, and keep a distance from the man at my side. Thankfully shortly after arriving at the house my parents excused me to leave for the night since I had school in the morning. I didn't sleep very well the next few nights unable to get this horrible feeling to leave my gut even after trying everything from drinking warm milk to talking to Mipple long into the night about what was bothering me.

The next couple of weeks passed by and finally it was time to elect the president and vice president. The president ended up being a nice young man who had a wonderful campaign about all the things he wanted to do for the school that he would actually be able to do. The vice president however was none other than Mori-kun. Apparently he had transferred into my school, a fact my parents seemed thrilled about, and decided to run for vice president "for the heck of it" to quote him. I'm still not sure how he did it, but he won by a landslide. Due to student council and the insisting of our parents I ended up spending more and more time with Mori-kun both in and outside of school, and while I still wouldn't call him a good friend I was starting to relax a bit more in his company. He was an alright and charming guy but there was still something in the back of my head that told me to keep on guard.

That little voiced proved right sometime around October of that year when were supposed to be going on a date. After a lot of not so subtle hints from my parents about how pleased they would be if I dated him, and some figuring that since I wasn't going to be with the one I love so what does it matter who I am with, I decided to go ahead and start dating Mori-kun. It wasn't anything like what I thought a relationship should be like as there was little romance involved. Sure we went on dates and stuff, but there was no close contact, mostly on my insisting, involved. We held hands on occasion especially if we were near our parents but we have never kissed. I suppose that, that is one of the things that sent him over the edge.

Over the past weeks I noticed him growing more and more impatient with my lack of physical contact with him. I suppose he was getting teased by the other guys in school with girlfriends about how he hadn't even kissed me yet. It wasn't any of their business but it was a harsh jab to his pride. He told me one day that he wanted to kiss me and do more but I told him I wasn't ready for stuff like that yet. Although he obeyed my wishes I could see the anger he held in and the way his jaw and fist clenched in frustration. I shook it off and continued on as though it never happened.

In late October were supposed to have a date at a really nice restaurant but due to a sudden stomach virus I had to call him to cancel. I could tell he was really angry as he had, had the reservations for a couple of weeks and kept asking me to get over it and come anyways but I told him it wasn't possible and hung up before he could protest further and add to my growing headache and stomach nausea. I took a couple of days off because the virus had me stuck in bed feeling like I was going to die until finally I felt well enough to venture to school. Not once in the last couple of days had I received a call from Mori-Kun which I was glad about, but also worried about. Whenever I would get sick he would usually call to make sure that I was okay but this time he hadn't done that and knowing how angry he was over our cancelled date I dreaded having to see him today.

It was near the end of the school day when Mori-Kun finally made his appearance cornering me in an empty classroom and forcing me roughly against the wall, his left hand holding my shoulder to keep me in place and his right...

SMACK "What the hell did you thing you were doing? Do you know how hard it was getting a reservation at that place? How many strings my dad had to pull just for you to cancel? Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was for me?"

His face was twisted in a snarl and I can honestly say I have never been more scared than at this moment. "I-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses! From now on you are going to be the perfect loving and doting girlfriend you got that, or you will regret it, and if you ever tell anyone about any of this I promise there is no where you can hide from me"

With that threat he stormed out of the room and I sunk to me knees. I felt the tears running down my face but I didn't care. I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe, and I had no idea how to react to what had just happened.

"Honoka! Are you okay-Mipo? We need to go to the nurse's office and report this-Mipo!" I could tell that Mipple was angry and knew that I should be too, but at this moment all I felt was fear. Fear of what he would do to me if I told anyone, and fear of what he would do if I didn't

"I can't Mipple, you heard him, who knows what he would do if I told someone, and besides who would believe me? Everyone loves him and thinks he is the perfect gentlemen. No one would believe that he could do what he just did." I sat there for a few more minutes to make sure that the tears were gone before leaving the school and heading home. I stayed in my room all night and for most of the next week and if my parents noticed the change in my behaviour they never voiced it.

As time went on things only got worse and worse, the beatings came more frequently and with increased intensity. After that first time he made sure to never strike my face or any place that a bruise may be visible. Lifting up my shirt I could see a few fading bruises around my ribs and stomach. Thankfully he had not struck me in a couple of weeks now but I couldn't figure out why. He never had a reason for striking me, doing it whenever he saw fit to do so. If he had a bad day, or I had somehow managed to do something to offend him, or even if he saw some guy talking to me no matter what the reason. I grew more withdrawn over time and secretly bitter as no one ever seemed to notice my pain and agony.

It was February 14th valentine's day and I was dreading this day since last week when Mori-san told me he had something planned for tonight. While I couldn't fight him back I made sure to keep all of our 'dates' in open areas with lots of places around to lessen the chances of him hitting me, and while this didn't stop the abuse it certainly delayed it.

Hearing the door bell ring I sighed to myself before checking my appearance and hurrying down the stairs as he doesn't like to stand outside waiting. When I reached the bottom stairs I noticed that my parents had already answered the door but what struck me as odd was that they were dressed up like they were heading somewhere, but they had never told me anything about plans this evening.

"Ah Osamu-Kun it's good to see you again, you look nice this evening."

"Thank you Yukishiro-San, and might I say you both look wonderful as well." Mori-San let on the charm thick in order to keep up appearances with my parents. His mannerism around them and the way they seem to adore him is one of the reasons I doubt they would believe me if I told them about the beatings.

"Okaa-san, Otou-san, are you heading somewhere?" I asked them not understanding what was going on as they never once failed to tell me if they weren't going to be home. It was actually one of the reasons I was able to save myself from having an empty house before or after a date.

"Hai Honoka-chan, Osamu-kun made dinner reservations for us tonight which if we don't hurry we are going to miss, let's go dear." I felt my stomach drop and twist at what I was just told and seeing my parents leave I felt my palms go sweaty and I wanted so desperately to call after them and beg them not to go. Before anything had the chance to pass the lump in my throat, however, Mori-san had already shut the door and turned to look at me. Hearing the car drive away and seeing the look in his eyes it didn't take a moment's hesitation to turn on my heal and run back upstairs as fast as I could. I could hear him racing after me but I was able to get to my room first and slam it just as he reached me. Quickly locking the door I stumbled back as I felt him collide with the door.

"Open this door Honoka or I promise you the experience will be far worse when I get in there!" I heard him scream profanities and constantly bang on the door but there was no way I was going to let him in. I always feared that it would come to this and I cursed at my cowardice for not telling anyone about the things that had been happening. I sat in the corner of the room across from the door too afraid to take my gaze off of it and wondered if the door would hold him back or give in, or if he would eventually give up and leave me alone. I wasn't sure if I was glad that Mipple was asleep or not, part of me needed to know that someone was there with me, but a bigger part of me knew that she wouldn't be able to help and it would just be traumatizing for her as well.

The banging continued for a little while longer and then just stopped. I kept looking at the door not believing that he had given up yet, but when I couldn't hear any sounds after a minute or two, I sighed to myself in relief and buried my head into my knees.

BANG! CRASH!

I felt myself jump up at the sounds and quickly found the fear inside from the noise give way to an ever growing fear of the reason behind the sound.

"Your mine" I heard him growl and leapt to my feet hoping he would be a little dazed from the crash of body slamming the door so that I could run around him. He recovered quicker than I thought and I felt him wrap an arm around my waist and throw me backwards. My back met the flooring hard and I felt my breathe forcefully leave my chest. I looked up and saw him bending down to strike me so I rolled to my left to avoid the fist and rolled onto my feet. Trying again to escape I ran for the door but felt my legs give way after a lucky swipe of his hand managed to connect with my foot. I fell hard and smacked my head against the floor making my vision go dark before I felt the world slowly come in and out of focus. I felt myself being lifted off the floor and dropped onto the bed and tried to struggle as he began to remove my clothing and grip my skin harshly. As my mind started become clearer and my body responding to my commands I started struggling harder and harder trying to get him off of me, trying to stop this nightmare. I could feel the tears run down my face and somewhere past the blood rushing through my ears I could hear myself screaming as the physical and emotional pain tore through me.

Thrashing wildly I tried to connect with anything that would allow me time to escape, but since I wasn't thinking clearly I was throwing blind punches and so when I finally connected with his nose I wasn't even aware of it until a hard backhand landed across my face knocking me back into a near unconscious state.

He took me several times that night before finally leaving me to deal with it all. I felt dirty and helpless. He threatened to kill me if I ever told anyone but I didn't really care. I wouldn't tell anyone, who would believe me anyway?

Over the next couple of months he would find ways to get me alone without me knowing and it would happen all over again but eventually I felt my body go numb and it felt like the world was crashing around me. I no longer cared if I lived or died. In fact the latter would have been preferred as at least then I would be safe away from him and I would be with the person who always protected me.

For some time before I became numb all I felt was anger. Anger at the man who raped me, anger towards my parents who never seemed to notice or care that I was acting different and that bad things were happening to me, anger at the world for the pain I was in, but most of all I felt anger towards the one person I love more than anything, for leaving me behind to deal with life on my own. I was angry at her for a long time and soon felt that anger consume me to the point of wanting to hate her and blame everything on her. But then, that wouldn't be fair would it? After all it is my own fault, I agreed to date him, I agreed to come to Paris, and I wasn't there to help my best friend pass a simple course so that she could stay by my side. No, it wasn't fair to blame it all on her and so my depression began and my numbness took over where the anger had subsided, until something happened that snapped me back into reality.

I awoke from my nightmare with a sudden jolt and felt my stomach lurch. Running to the bathroom I emptied what little was in my stomach and felt the need to keep trying even if nothing was there. Settling down I sat on the floor for a minute before standing up, rinsing my mouth out, and walking back to my room to crawl under my covers. I burned the ones from two months ago and thankfully he hasn't been back in this room since. He even managed to convince my parents that he had to break the door down due to the lock jamming.

"Honoka, are you okay-Mipo?" I smiled to myself hearing the question that Mipple seems to ask more than anything else these days.

"Hai Mipple I'm okay just not feeling too well."

"You've been getting sick a lot over the last couple of months, are you sure-Mipo?"

"Hai Mipple" I closed my eyes knowing she wouldn't ask again and let my mind drift over everything. I had been off the last couple of days at my parents insisting even though I knew that it wasn't a normal sickness and that it wouldn't go away anytime soon. I am a very smart person, and have even been referred to as the queen of knowledge, so it wasn't hard to deduce the cause of my illness. I already knew that I was going to keep it, that wasn't an option for me, it was what I was going to do when I started showing that worried me. I couldn't hide this from my parents but I didn't want them to think that I had started a mutual sexual relationship with Mori-san either. I didn't want him to be a part of the child's life. If he could hurt me so easily, what would stop him from hurting my child?

This left me with one option, to tell my parents the truth. I was nervous to talk to them about it, still not sure what to say but in this case I was glad to have the bruises from the time he beat me last week still evident on my body as they would certainly help them believe me, if the child didn't already guarantee that.

Groaning a little at my turning stomach I got out of bed and headed downstairs, clinging to the railing as my legs were a little shaky, to talk to my parents about everything that has been going on. I found them in the kitchen like always first thing in the morning going about their regular routine.

"Okaa-san, Otou-san, can I talk to you for a minute?" Finally noticing me they looked up at me and the smiles that had previously been on their faces quickly turned into concerned frowns.

"Honoka-chan are you alright you don't look so well. Here sit down" "_I really wish people would quit asking me if I'm okay."_ Mom led me to a chair and felt my forehead, no doubt looking for a burning fever. "That's odd, you don't have a fever, but you look like you're ready to pass out. I think we should take you to the doctors today to get you looked at." While I knew I would need a doctor eventually I would rather be the one to tell them the news rather than some doctor I don't even know.

"I'm alright Okaa-san, but I need to talk to you guys." Just after finishing my sentence I caught a whiff of my Otou-san's coffee and felt my stomach lurch at the smell. My face must have paled even more because it didn't take my parents a second to start panicking and rush me into the car to take me to see a doctor. "_Well there goes my plan to tell them._"

We sat in the waiting room for over half an hour before we were finally shown to an exam room where we had to wait another little while for the doctor. Finally when the doctor came and my parents explained that I had been sick he decided to take a blood sample consisting of 5 separate vials of blood and said that he would be right back to do a physical. This was the part I was worried about. The second he lifted my shirt he would see the bruises and I wasn't sure if this would make things easier or more difficult.

"Okaa-san, Otou-san, I really need to tell you guys something before the doctor-"

"Alright Honoka-chan, we got your blood tests results back and they give some interesting news. Would you like to tell your parents or should I?" I don't know how he knew I knew but I glanced over at my parents and I could see the confused looks they were directing between the doctor and me.

Taking a deep breath I let out a short and simple "I'm pregnant" and closed my eyes to afraid to see their reactions. Not hearing something after a minute I slowly opened my left eye then my right when I noticed that they seemed too shocked to say anything. Okaa-san looked like she was going to faint and my Otou-san had a blank look that seemed to gradually morph into a rage as he comprehended the situation.

"I'll kill him" I heard him whisper and I didn't object to it all things considered but if he was this livid when he thinks, I'm assuming, it was consensual, just how mad is he going to be when he finds out it wasn't.

"Honoka how could you start that kind of relationship with him so soon? And you are a smart girl why weren't you taking precautions?" I could hear the disbelief in her voice and I had to lower my head at it.

"It wasn't my choice" I whispered beneath my breath unable to find my voice as the tears began to build up over everything that has happened over the last year.

"What was that?"

"It wasn't my choice!" I said in a near yell as I lifted my head to look at both of my parents. I could the shock look in their faces from being startled turn into a shocked and disgusted look as the words slowly sunk in, and I couldn't hold it back anymore as I let the tears flow freely down my face but chocked back the sob that wanted so badly to escape.

"H-Honoka, what?" My Okaa-san got up and hugged me close, and that was the last straw for me as I let it all out and cried hard in My Okaa-san's arms. "Shh, it'll be okay, I promise, but I need you tell me everything okay?" I could hear her voice crack a little and being unable to talk I just nodded into her shoulder letting her know that I would explain everything. I felt my Otou-san sit on the other side of me and begin to rub back either not knowing what to say, or unable to say it.

"I'll leave for a few minutes to let you talk, call me when you are ready, I would still like to do a physical exam if that is okay," and with that the doctor left the room leaving us to talk.

After a couple of minutes with the only sounds in the room was me sniffling trying to stop the tears I pulled back finally having my emotions back under control. I kept my eyes on the floor unable to look at my parents and knowing that it would be easier to get this out if I couldn't see their reactions.

"It started off slow, around the end of October. I cancelled a date because I was sick and I guess that made him angry because he cornered me in an empty classroom the a few days later and struck me saying I embarrassed him by cancelling on him. The beatings got progressively worse over time and I could never predict it or the reasons behind what would set him off. Then, and I'm not sure what made him snap at this point, but during Valentine's day when we were alone, that was the first time" I couldn't say it but I knew I didn't have to. I felt my Okaa-san grab me and hug me tight and I could feel her shaking.

"Why didn't you ever come to us?"

"I wasn't sure you would believe me about him. Everyone adores him and thinks him to be this perfect charming guy so how could he do something like this? He also threatened me if I did. I wasn't sure what he would do but I was afraid to find out, but when I found out about this" I placed a hand on my still flat stomach "I knew that things had to change."

"You're very brave sweetheart and don't worry, we will take care of him and make sure he can't hurt you or our grandchild" I saw my Otou-san's eyes go wide and I gave him a curious look "I'm going to be an Ojii-san, man I suddenly feel so old." Okaa-san and I chuckled at my Otou-san's antics and I was happy that things seemed to be okay, but I still wasn't sure about the future. I heard my Otou-san call the doctor back in and so he went about doing the physical on me. After lifting my shirt he and my parents got a look at the bruises I had been hiding for so long, and I heard them gasp at the discolouration of certain areas.

"Could you get some pictures of those?" I heard my Otou-san ask the doctor as he checked me over no doubt to make sure the baby was okay and that there wasn't any internal injuries.

"Of course, I am assuming you are going to pursue legal actions?" At this my Otou-san nodded "alright then I would like to help so if you need a testimony please don't hesitate to ask"

"Thank you I appreciate your offer. I think it would help a lot to get a conviction. Their family isn't so well influenced but they still have a lot of money and power so all the help we can get would be great."

With that being said, the appointment finished after some pictures had been taken and immediately after the doctor's office we went to see my Otou-san's lawyer to talk about our case. The lawyer, Mr. Anderson, told us that we certainly had a case but it would be a difficult one and the outcome at best would only mean 10 years in prison for him, and it would also mean telling him about the child. Both of my parents asked me what I wanted to do and for a moment I hesitated not sure of myself and if I could do this, but then I remembered why I had decided to tell my parents in the first place and nodded my head at them that I wanted to go through with this. I must have had a bit of fear and uncertainty etched into my features because my parents were quick to assure me that no matter the outcome they would protect me and the baby and keep him away from us. That helped elate some of my fears but not all of them. As a powerful family it wouldn't be hard for Mori-san to find me and I was scared of what would happen to not only me, but my family if he did.

The set up of the trial, from serving the papers to setting the court dates, and conviction took about a month to complete. Mori-san tried to gain sympathy from the jury by claiming that he would be a good father and husband to me and the baby, and I could tell that the jury was sympathetic to him at first as he was, as usual, charming and easily threw up his kind and gentle front to win them over, but after seeing the pictures of my bruises, old and new, and listening to the testimony of the doctor it wasn't long before the jury lost their sympathy. In the end the jury voted against the defence and Mori-san was ordered to the full ten years in prison, with chance of parole after 5 years. He was also ordered to stay from my family the baby and me for the rest of his life and I could see by the look in his eyes when they hand cuffed him to take him away that no simple court order would keep him away once he got out.

_Present_

After he was sent to jail Otou-san and Okaa-san sent me back here to Japan to live with Obaa-san once again, figuring it would be safer if I wasn't near Paris where he would have easier access to my whereabouts.

It's funny to think that this is the third generation that my Obaa-san has helped raise, and I have to admit I owe so much to her that I would never in a million years even begin to make it up to her. Not only did she raise me, but she has helped so much with Akiko that I don't know how I would have managed otherwise. Thanks to Obaa-san watching Akiko during the day I was able to continue to finish high school and am currently in my second year of University in the Science field. But that isn't the reason why I am once again sitting on the hard wood floor of my outdoor hallway looking at the moon from my back yard at midnight, "_Happy Birthday to me"_ I think sarcastically. No, that reason has more to do with why I can't sleep and why I can still feel my heart race even though it's been three hours since I was told the news.

_Three Hours Ago_

"Honoka-chan can you come here for a moment?"

"Hai, Obaa-san" I called back but making sure my voice wasn't too loud as I had just put Akiko down to sleep. Thankfully it's been a few days since her last nightmare, they had gotten really bad over the last month so the break was welcome, and I wanted to take advantage of that fact as much as possible. I walked into the kitchen where my Obaa-san was sitting at the table sipping some tea and looking troubled. "Is everything alright Obaa-san?"

"Not exactly Honoka-chan, I have some bad news" The last time I heard my Obaa-san say something similar to that I had lost my best friend and secrete love, since I knew all my friends to be safe my thoughts immediately went to my parents as they were still in America on some business. Swallowing a growing lump I nodded my head for her to continue not trusting my voice. "It's about...that man" Obaa-san always had more problems than most of us even saying his name "I just got off the phone with your parents who were contacted by Anderson-san, it would seem that he was able to get out of jail early." I felt my heart stop at that, he wasn't supposed to even get a _chance_ to get out for another couple of years, so how had he gotten out so early?

"But, how? I mean he isn't supposed to be up for parole for another two years, so how is that possible? "

"Apparently he had enough connections to get out early , a week ago to precise, but remember he is still on parole so he won't be able to leave the country and he is forbidden to come anywhere near you, besides he doesn't even know you are here." I knew she was trying to comfort me but it did little to settle my nerves. I knew from the look on his face when they took him away that it didn't matter where I went or if he had to break some parole that barely keeps tabs on anyone until it's too late, one way or another he would come and find me.

I didn't want to worry my Obaa-san though so I just nodded and tried to sound as normal as possible. "Thank you Obaa-san for telling me, I imagine everything will be okay. I think I'm going to try and get some sleep, have a good night and I will see you in the morning."

"Good night Honoka-chan, and please try to not let it disturb your sleep"

I smiled at her and left the room. It was hard not to let it get to me, after all who could sleep knowing that the man who has haunted your dreams for years might possibly be on his way to kill you, or worse.

_Present_

So here I am trying to think of ways to keep my family and friends safe and still continue on with my life. "_Why do things always have to be so difficult? Would it really be too much to ask for to have a break from all the bad things in the world?_"

As if in answer to my mental question I heard the dull thud of heavy boots against hardwood flooring, low at first but gradually getting louder indicating the owner was walking closer. I felt my heart rate pick up at the sounds. Someone was here in the middle of the night; it could only mean one thing. He had found me. Mori-san had always been hard on his feet, never a soft and graceful step, always loud and powerful, and now those steps were echoing in my ears until I could hear them slow to a stop a few, if not more, paces behind me and to my right just down the hallway a bit.

Shakily I reached up to the support beam I had been leaning against and grabbed it to help pull myself to my feet, sure that I would collapse if I didn't have any help. As I turned to the figure I knew to be there I left my eyes on the ground bellow me until I was fully turned and facing the person standing about 5 paces in front of me. Looking up I felt my heart beat out of control, as if it was trying to escape my chest, and my breath caught in my throat as I let out a choked sob.

"Happy Birthday, Honoka"

"Nagisa"

THE END!

Muahaha JK, although this is end of this part, I intended to write it in three parts, maybe four depending on certain parts and what I add later on.

Omake:

Nagisa: *Once again, glaring at Ash*

Ash: would you quit glaring at me I made you still alive didn't I? Hehe hope you didn't spend too much on that one day pass

Nagisa: Why you *Goes to tackle Ash but gets tackled by Honoka and Akiko first*

Ash: Serves you right you should be happy you're alive, besides you should be nice to me, it's my Birthday today.

Nagisa: Well you should have finished this for Honoka's Birthday

Ash: I would have but it was past midnight and I had to work at 8 the next morning, you should be thankful I was even able to complete it now since I had to go to the hospital the other day to get stitches in my finger. Have you ever tried to type with stitched in your pinky, it's not fun. You never really notice how much you use it for typing until then.

Nagisa: Ya Ya cry me a river, how many did you get?

Ash: Two

Nagisa: *eye twitches* that's it? You baby, suck it up and hurry up on the next part, and it had damn well better be good *walks off*

Ash: *pouts* Fine but just for that I'm gonna make you wait to get into Honoka pants!

Nagisa: *runs back and tackles Ash* alright I'm sorry! I take it back I'll be good I promise and I won't even glare at you anymore *Ash raises an eyebrow* Okay I won't glare at you so much

Ash: Fine, we'll see what happens; now I suggest you go and spend time with those two before we both get mauled, though for different reasons. *sees the look in Honoka's eyes and can't help a cold chill running down her spine.

A/N: Okay that's it for this part of the series, the start of the next part shouldn't be long to get up since I already have an idea for how I want it to happen. The only part I'm not sure about is the rating, I wouldn't mind trying to include of M scenes in some chapters of the next part but I'm not sure yet, so let me know if you think it would be a good idea. So until next time, happy belated B-day to Honoka and happy B-day to me :D


End file.
